First Beach Fiasco
by LadyofSpain
Summary: Jake takes Bells cliff diving. She wears a bikini, sending him into orbit. She loses her top and he has to take her to his home. He complains to Charlie, who lectures Bella. She goes ballistic, and poor Jake gets fried-at first. Nommed best Jake at Eclipse and Torch Awards 2012.
1. Chapter 1

**First Beach Fiasco**

**By Lady of Spain**

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight. I own a RAV4.

* * *

><p>Summertime and the living is easy—"da, dee, dee da,da . . ." Maybe—but not for me. I was still tryin' to get Ms. Clueless to admit that she loved me. I didn't get it. I was just right for her, so why did she always have to be out in left field.<p>

My new plan for today was to take her swimming at First Beach. That would ensure that the sparkly creature would have to hide out under his own roof. Ha!

She said she wanted to go cliff diving, only this time she would be with a lifeguard at her side. Yep—you got it—yours truly. Who else would be dumb enough to tempt fate?

Anyhow, I revved up the Rabbit and drove on down to Forks to pick up the love of my life. Sure, it would be much easier for her to meet me there, but then it would be easier for her to escape back to that pasty parasite, too. What did she see in him anyway? So he was a musician—big freakin' deal; he could play an instrument. Well, I played _with_ an instrument—it's called a wrench. I could make a car's motor sing like a soprano. Now if only I could get Bella to sing for _me_ like that. Sigh . . .

Bells was all ready to head out to the beach when I got to her house. She had one of those big tote bags full of beach stuff—you know, straw hat, sun block, towels, snacks, water, book . . . wait a minute— a book, seriously? What made her think I was gonna let her stick her nose in a book, when I was sitting next to her looking as irresistible as hell. So I was a little needy . . . I couldn't help it; I was nuts about her. I was definitely gonna have to see about that book. Maybe I could make that paperback mysteriously disappear.

I was astounded by all the junk she had stowed in there. "Jeez, Bells, you'd think you were packing for the weekend." Wishful thinking, huh?

"Well, smarty pants, I like to be prepared for Murphy's Law. I don't happen to have a cord to wrap around my ankle, so I have to stow it all in a bag."

"If I had to carry around that much junk, I'd need a dog sled," I laughed. Bella glared at me, I guessed she didn't seem to find that very funny. Smooth, Black— real smooth.

Okay, so it was probably a girl thing to bring every freakin' household item with you wherever you went, but ten to one, she would need the one essential that she forgot. And guess who was gonna be the one to have to fetch it for her? Uh huh, you guessed it—good ol' dependable Jacob Black. Damn, I sounded like such a jerk. I knew I'd die for her if it came to that though, and in my heart I was pretty sure she knew it too.

I walked her to the Rabbit; it was a good excuse to put my arm around her. Just that little contact was enough to send me into orbit. I tried without success—I might add—to still my heart. It was pounding in my chest. Having her sitting next to me in the small space didn't help matters much either.

Focusing on the road ahead, I launched into a conversation. "You got any other plans for the weekend?" I asked, trying hard to act nonchalant.

"Not really, I'll be at Edward's all of tomorrow, just hanging out." She turned and glanced in my direction. I was sure she noticed the look of revulsion on my face.

Geesh, I had to ask. It was like a sucker punch to my heart whenever she spoke his name, not to mention it triggered my gag reflex. Ugh! I tried not to let it get to me, but I just couldn't help being jealous. She was just it . . . she just was. You heard of the _It_ girl of the twenties— well Bells was it for me. If I lived to be 100, I would never find a girl that rang my chimes like she did. And what really hurts is that she knew it. Sometimes I felt like banging my head on a wall.

I didn't want to spoil our day, so I didn't comment about her _other_ plans—that sadly didn't include me. Changing the subject seemed like a good idea. "How's your mom? Do you think she'll be visiting anytime soon?"

That cut through the ice, and suddenly we were Jake and Bells again all the way to First Beach.

* * *

><p>After I got the Rabbit parked, we got out and Bells removed her mid thigh cover–up. My eyes nearly popped out of my head. Instead of her usual one piece with the polka dots, she was wearing a bright yellow bikini with tiny little strings at her neck and back. She looked like a million bucks, but I didn't like the idea of the rest of the wolves trying their best to stick their hands in the till, if you know what I mean. I was frozen where I stood and I'm sure my mouth was hanging open, too.<p>

"What's the matter?" she asked nervously. "It's too much, isn't it?" Was that a blush rising up on those cheeks?

"Uh, yeah. I think it's gonna cause a stir among the wolves, including me. Where's your other suit? Why didn't you wear it?" I was desperately attempting to keep my eyes trained on her face.

She lowered her eyes and confessed, "I put it away, and then couldn't find the darn thing. This was the only other suit I own—a gift from Alice. You know how she is. She somehow manages to find clothes with the least amount of fabric in them."

"Where does she shop—Frederick's of Hollywood?" Was that store even in existence any more?

"Oh c'mon, Jake, it's not that bad, is it?" She was definitely blushing scarlet now.

"I'm just sayin' you better get that towel on before the big bad wolf eats you up, 'cuz I'm already huffing and puffing." Thank god the water was always cold, 'cuz I really needed to cool down in a hurry. How could she do this to me?

She pulled a towel out of the bag and wrapped it around herself. Then she went rummaging through that heaping bag of stuff. She finally found what she was looking for—the sun block. Placing the tube in my hand, she asked me to spread the cream on her back. Damn, there went my heart thumping again.

Torture—that's what it was—sweet torture. She was letting me touch her—well not technically—I was just the means to spread the sun block, but still . . . The feel of her velvet skin under my hands was going to replay in my brain over and over keeping me awake tonight. "Girl, you're killing me softly, bit by bit," I thought.

After I finished her _massage_, Bells put the tube back in the bag, grabbed her hat and the water and threw the bag back on the seat of the Rabbit.

Confused, I asked, "Aren't you bringing that tote with you?"

She rolled her eyes and stared at me like I was crazy. "No, silly, I'm going to leave it in the car; I don't want to get any sand and pebbles in it."

Like I said, when she needed something out of that bag, _you know who_ will be fetching it for her.

"I'm ready now; let's go! Lead the way."

I jerked slightly as she took my hand. I was usually the one to initiate any contact, so it was a pleasant surprise—for once.

* * *

><p>We hiked up to the lower jump off point at the cliff.<p>

"Do you want to jump with me?" Hey, trying to be helpful here . . . I figured baby steps, you know.

"Don't coddle me. I want to do this on my own," she retorted.

Peeking over the edge, she seemed to be having second thoughts 'cuz she stepped back. "You go first," she squeaked.

"Okay, Chicken Little, watch and learn." Walking away from the edge a few paces, I took a running jump off the cliff. "Geronimo!"

I was in freefall for a few seconds and then the ocean met me, spraying like a geyser into the air. Flicking the water out of my hair, I shouted up to Bells, "Come on in, the water's fine!"

She yelled back. "That's easy for you to say; you could be floating next to an iceberg, and you still wouldn't feel the cold!"

"C'mon, Bells, you wanted to do this—so jump already!"

"Okay, okay, give me a minute!"

She took more than a minute, and I was getting a little impatient. "If it'll make you feel any better, I can catch you—you know, the way Tarzan used to catch Jane when she dove down from the tree house. Me, Tarzan; you, Jane!" I gave my best imitation of the Tarzan yell—"ah- a ah a ah- a ah a ah!"

"Okay, okay, give me a minute!" She was stalling—again.

"You already said that. Hurry up; I'm getting all pruny here." I gave her my most dazzling smile. Could she see it from way up there?

Bells threw her hat and the bottled water on the ground and finally removed her towel. I closed my eyes for a second—no sense in sending my hormones into overdrive. I heard her shriek, as I opened them again. I got ready to catch her as she fell—and she landed right into my outstretched arms.

Bella sputtered as the cold water splashed in her face. "Gah! This water is like ice. But holy crow that was amazing! What a rush. Can we do it again?"

I couldn't believe my ears. Fragile little Bella Swan wanted to dive off the cliff for the second time? "Sure, sure."

I carried her closer to shore and asked, "You gonna try a _swan_ dive now?"

She ignored my little jibe, and holding my hand, pulled me out of the water and led _me_ up the path this time. Before we got to the cliff, I noticed the tie at her neck was a little loose.

"The string around your neck is loose. You want me to tighten it for you?"

Stopping for a moment, she let me retie the string. "Ow, that's _too_ tight." She squawked. "Here—I'll do it myself."

Re-knotting the tie, she started up the path again.

The sound of a dog barking got our attention. As we reached our destination, we could see the culprit ripping and chewing at Bella's towel. Her straw hat was destroyed, the pieces littering the ground; the bottle of water was crushed. When the dog saw us coming toward him, he took off, dragging the towel with him.

"My hat!" Bella exclaimed. "Just look at it. Doesn't his owner feed him enough? There went my water, too." She sighed loudly.

"You want me to go chase him down?" Stupid dog! That was not on my list of favorite things to do, but what the hell . . ."

"Oh well, don't worry about it. It was an old towel anyway, and besides, you're doing a better job of keeping me warm. Let him have it."

We turned our attention back to our task at hand and repeated our maneuvers. Just like before, Bells wound up in my arms again. She snuggled up to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Wow, you're so warm." She moved against me, getting closer. "Oh, you feel _sooo_ good." Yeah—my sentiments exactly.

"You wanna go again?" I was pretty sure that the adrenaline junkie would give me an affirmative on that one.

"Yeah, but let's go to the top for the next jump. And don't catch me; I want to take the plunge on my own, okay?"

On our way heading up the path, we walked into Quil. His girl wasn't with him, so I guessed something was up. He grinned when he saw me, and stopped us. "Hey, Jake, can I borrow the Rabbit to take Claire home? She doesn't feel too well."

"Sure, sure. I won't need it for a while. Just drop it off when you're done with it."

"Thanks, I shouldn't be more than two hours—tops." He tore his eyes away from me, and looked Bella over. Those same eyes widened in what could only be referred to as appreciation. "Whoa . . . nice suit!"

I elbowed him in the ribs and his eyes zipped back to me. He noticed the scowl on my face and remarked, "Hey, don't be like that, I'm just sayin'."

I folded my arms across my chest, sending out a message loud and clear.

"Oookaaay, see ya' later." He got the point.

* * *

><p>We got to the high point of the cliff and jumped. Bells landed several feet away from me. "Jake," she yelled, "Get over here. I'm freezing to death."<p>

I dove under the water, and as I did, I felt something lightly brush against my shoulder. It floated away with the rapid current. Tuning my head, I thought I actually caught a glimpse of yellow. Swimming up to her, I pulled her over to my chest. That was when I felt reality press up against me; this was no fantasy. Uh-oh, was that what I thought it was? As I reached my arms around to her back, I noticed that I couldn't feel the ties. Oh, boy, my suspicions were confirmed. The top of Bella's bathing suit had parted company with her. It must have slipped off when she hit the water.

I pulled away from her as fast as I could, not wanting to embarrass her.

"Hey," she complained, "where are you going? Come back, I need my personal space heater."

Coming closer to her, I carefully put my arms around her back once more, but kept a safe distance between us. Before I could say anything, Bella sensed my hesitation.

"What's the matter with you?" Her chocolate eyes peered into mine, concerned.

"Uh, Bells . . . I don't know how to tell you this, but when I hugged you a couple of minutes ago, I don't think there was anything . . .uh . . . separating your chest from mine."

Immediately her hands searched her neck for the ties—which were now, obviously missing. Her mouth opened in horror. In a panic, she wailed, "Oh my gosh . . . oh my gosh, what am I going to do? I can't get out of the water like this! Jake, do you think you could find my top? It's got to be here somewhere."

I knew it—this was one essential that I had to go fetch. "I'll try my best, but it's probably long gone." Yeah, on its way to Alaska no doubt. Hey, maybe I should milk this for all it's worth. Nah, I wouldn't hurt her that way.

Great—it would be so nice, if just once I could spend the day with Bells without all this drama. Dammit!

I dove deep into the briny depths looking for the elusive spot of yellow. I tried again and again—no dice. That little swatch of fabric was well on its way to the land of the lost Bikinis.

"Good grief, I can't stay here forever. Do you have any ideas how to get me out of this mess?"

"We could wait 'til dark, but then you'd be all purple and waterlogged. Or . . . I could go right now and borrow a towel for you."

Her eyes widened in terror. "Oh no—if I came out of the water with a towel across my chest, everyone on the beach would know. I'd never live it down, besides, I don't want you to leave me—I'm cold."

"Okay . . . I only have one idea left, and you're not gonna like it."

"Well, give it to me quick—my lips are turning blue." And not a very pretty shade either, I might add.

"I could always warm them up for ya'." I wiggled my eyebrows at her.

"Jacob Black!" She frowned at me.

"Yeah, all right. I could carry you out of here, and take you over to my house. You'd have to put your arms around my neck and wrap your legs at my waist. If you're self conscious about touching me without a suit on, place one of your arms across your chest."

"You're right—I don't like it. But this is an emergency, so okay, let's do it!"

* * *

><p>Bella climbed aboard so to speak, and believe me, it was a lot easier to accomplish the maneuver since we were in the water. I could just imagine her trying this on land; it would've been a trip to the emergency room for sure. I carried my adorable bundle—of nerves—to the shoreline and from there to my house. Miraculously, no one seemed to notice, huh . . .<p>

I got ready to set her down in my bedroom when she yelled, "Don't you dare put me down 'til you close those hungry eyes of yours first!"

"Oh, c'mon Bells, you know I'd never do that to you." Or would I? No, no, no . . . Well, maybe just a peek. God, I was such a guy! Ugh—no, I was a good boy, I couldn't do that. I would never forgive myself, plus the image of her naked from the waist up would play on a loop in my head forever, driving me even _more_ insane.

I closed my eyes tightly and moved in the general direction of my dresser. Ow—I banged into it, stubbing one of my big toes. I opened my eyes so I could see the clothes in the drawer, and pulled out a tee shirt. I walked backward 'til I felt her hand grab it. I stood with my back to her, and waited 'til she announced, "Okay, you can turn around now."

How anyone could look so damn sexy standing there shivering in an oversized tee is beyond me. I stopped ogling her, and led her by the hand to the dilapidated couch in my living room. There was a blanket thrown over one of the arms, I wrapped her up in it, and pulled her towards me. Her shivering began to subside as my heat slowly penetrated her skin.

"Mmn . . . you're so warm," she cooed. Bella looked up from her comfortable spot on my shoulder. She was almost too close for comfort. Those—blue—lips were calling to me.

Staring at me with a look of utter sincerity, she remarked, "I'm so glad I was with you when that happened. Any other guy would have taken advantage of the situation. You're so good to me, Jake. I owe you."

She continued gazing at me thoughtfully, and I nearly fell off the couch when she spoke the words I was dying to hear.

"Would you mind warming up my lips; you said you wanted to? I think they're still a little blue."

A little blue? How 'bout a _lot_ blue. Wait a minute—did she just say to warm up her lips?

"What did you just say?" I wanted to make no mistake about it.

"I'm asking you to kiss me, stupid! Geesh, sometimes you can be so den—"

Bella swallowed her last word as my lips came crashing down on hers. I knew I should have started out slowly, but damn, I couldn't help myself. I'd been waiting so long for this opportunity, and I couldn't ignore the knocking now.

And like lightning—it struck. I was so busy warming up her lips that I didn't notice how Bells was warming up to me! Jeez, all of a sudden, she was nearly sucking my face off, not that I was complaining, mind you. My conscience got the better of me though, and our kissing session came to a screeching halt. I practically had to peel her off of me. One hand was clenching the roots of my hair, the other strangling my neck. For such a little thing she sure had the persistence of a badger. Her tiny face reflected her disappointment and her lips pursed in a childlike pout. There was a big _why_ in her chocolate brown eyes. Good question . . .

"I'm gonna hate myself for this, but aren't you still with Cullen? How's he gonna feel about you kissing me—and I mean KISSING me. Isn't this like cheating on him or something?" I rubbed the side of my face nervously, waiting for her answer.

She spoke like this was an everyday occurrence. "I don't really want to talk about Edward right now. He and I had a fight, and I don't really feel warm and fuzzy about him. Maybe it would do him some good to know I was kissing someone else for a change. Anyway, he's all right with it. Edward knows I'm not committed, yet. I just wanted to compare, that's all. It's not like I was going to bed with you or anything." Damn, even I hadn't thought that far ahead, yet.

"Well then, tell me something. How did I compare?" And please be gentle.

Bella gave me a mischievous smile. "I don't know yet, I didn't get to sample enough of the menu."

Pressing her lips to mine, she got my heart pumping a mile a minute for the second time today. I swear, I was gonna die of heart failure.

And then, Quil came barging into the living room—without knocking, as usual.

"Hey, buddy, your car's parked out in— Oops! Sorry, man, I didn't know you had company."

The rickety couch squeaked as Bella turned toward him. "It's okay, Quil, I probably should be heading home anyway. It's getting late."

Damn that Quil—he had the worst timing. I waved goodbye to him begrudgingly as he beat it out the door.

I separated quickly from Bella and went out to the Rabbit to get her tote bag so she could change.

She walked into the bathroom with the bag, but when she came out, she seemed different somehow. Something about her had changed and I didn't mean her clothes either.

I took her home and the day ended with a goodnight kiss—a long, lingering, passionate, goodnight kiss. I couldn't help but wonder how many more times our lips would meet—or if they ever would again. Jeez, that was a depressing thought.

* * *

><p>The next day I called the pixie—yeah, I mean Alice. I asked her about the bathing suit, the size etc. When I got off the phone, I headed straight for <em>Juniors R Us<em> and bought Bella a nice one piece swim suit. It was lavender with white trim and a simple white belt. I took it home and placed it in my dresser. The next time we went cliff diving, I would be prepared.

Sure enough, three days later Bella was asking me to go out to the cliff with her. This time I made her drive to La Push. She arrived at my place with all her junk in tow, including a new hat. I had to know what she was wearing under her cover up, so I asked her politely. She flashed me a red bikini with black bows at the hips.

I dragged her by the arm into my bedroom and pulled the bathing suit out of the drawer. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Wouldn't this suit you better?" I taunted.

She gasped in surprise; her eyes taking in the view. Suddenly, her shocked expression turned to outrage. "You had another girl in here? That's Ann's suit. She was wearing it at Jessica's last pool party. You were there—you saw her. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

"Whaaat? No! I _bought_ this—for you. Cost me a pretty penny, too."

"Yeah, right—and it just happened to wind up in your dresser drawer. How convenient!"

Jeez, she didn't have to get so mad—over nothing apparently. But wait—did that mean she was jealous? Sweeeet!

"It's the truth, you've gotta believe me. I didn't want you to misplace it like your other one."

Bella folded her arms across her chest and scowled at me. "I don't believe a word you're saying. I'm going home." She stomped out the door to the Chevy.

Great—more drama. An idea popped into my head as her truck drove off. "I think I'll go jump off a cliff. Anybody out there wanna join me?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Tusitala

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns these characters.

~ oOo ~

Jumping off that cliff suddenly lost all its appeal. It would just dredge up memories—memories that brought me to this miserable state of mind. My second idea was to get even with the little minx. Yeah, why not give her a dose of her own medicine. See how she likes feeling like crap!

Why in the holy hell would she think I would bring another girl over here? That's just not my style. If she wasn't interested in me, then why would she care anyway! Unless . . . Ahh, I didn't even want to go there right now.

I was gonna fix her wagon—but good. It was time to have a man to man talk with Bella's dad. I picked up the cell and called the chief. "Hey, Charlie, sorry to bother you at work, but can I come over to the house and talk to you? Yeah, she's mad at me again. Is she gonna be there tomorrow? Oh, over at Edward's, huh?" I never thought I would ever be happy to have her hanging out with the bloodsucker, but these were not ordinary circumstances, and I needed her gone.

"You're off tomorrow, right? Great, how about one o'clock? See you then—and thanks, Charlie."

_Oh, man, what did I just do? I hope this doesn't backfire on me. It's gonna be hard to get to sleep tonight. Groan . . ._

~ oOo ~

I went over and over in my mind what I would say to Charlie—and then after countless rehearsals—I decided to chuck it all and just wing it. Putting the bathing suit and receipt in a plastic bag, I was ready with my evidence. I got into the Rabbit at 12:30 and headed towards the Swan residence.

Charlie greeted me at the door. "Hey, kid, what can I do for you?"

That was it—I was ready for the hot seat. I swallowed hard, "Hi, Charlie, thanks for having me over this afternoon. I just needed to discuss something with you."

"Well, come on in, then." He motioned me into the house. "Have a seat."

I sat down on the couch, placed the bag beside me, and looked around. "Bells isn't here, is she?"

Charlie sat across from me in his Lazy Boy, peering at me thoughtfully. "No, like I said, she's swimming over at the Cullens'."

G_reat, when she comes home, he can see for himself what I'm talkin' about._

"So, what's up?" he asked.

Clearing my throat, I blurted out, "Did Bells tell you what our fight was about?"

"No, what happened?" He leaned forward in his seat.

"This is what got her so upset." I pulled the suit out of the bag, along with the receipt, handing both to him.

Charlie's expression was unreadable. He looked up at me and staring me straight in the eye, said, "You know I think of you as my own son, Jacob, but I don't like the idea of you buying swimsuits for my daughter. I'll be happy if there's more to this story." He laid the suit on the arm of the chair.

"Oh, there's more all right. If you only knew the half of it . . .

"Okay, where to start . . ." Hesitating, I took a big breath, and let it out slowly. "I picked up Bells last Monday. She wanted to go cliff diving, so I took her to First Beach. When we got out of the car, she removed her cover up. Now, this is the thing, Charlie—she was wearing this little yellow string bikini. It practically gave me a heart attack. She looked good enough to eat. I told her to wrap a towel around herself so I wouldn't be tempted to sneak a look.

"It was really hard not to think about it. I kept seeing her in that little yellow bikini, knowing that it was the only thing barely covering her body—which was now under that towel.

"Hell, it's hard enough to control myself when she's got a coat on. And here she was staring me in the face nine tenths naked.

"Anyway, on the third jump, her top got loose and floated away. I had to carry her to my house—topless. I gave her one of my tees to wear. I didn't peek—Scout's honor. But to top it off, she started kissing my lips off— and I mean seriously kissing me. What's a guy supposed to do? I had all I could do to restrain myself.

Charlie stood up from his seat, his face was turning an odd shade of purple.

I patted my hand in the air, motioning for him to sit down. "You can sit back down, Charlie. I swear to you that nothing happened. But, jeez, I was in a lot of pain for hours afterwards, if you know what I mean. I always try to be good around your daughter, but she's got to stop wearing stuff like that. Suppose someone else had been with her. Things might have gone differently.

"That suit next to you was my idea to solve the problem. I got it so she could change into it, instead of teasing me by wearing next to nothing. I showed it to her, and she thought it belonged to another girl. I bought it for Bells, but she won't believe me.

"Anyway, I thought maybe you could talk to her so she'll show me some mercy instead of so much skin. Oh, and hey, do me a favor and ask to see the suit she has on today. I guarantee it'll turn your hair grey.

"That's it—my whole pitiful story. And now, she's mad at me!"

Charlie scratched his head. "That's quite a story. I still don't like that you bought her that suit, though. I'll reimburse you for it when I get paid next Friday, and I don't want any arguments about it. Leave it here for her so I can show her the receipt. That should convince her.

"I really appreciate you coming over here to talk to me. That took a lot of guts."

"It's not just for me; I don't want to see her getting hurt. You might as well know . . . I'm in love with your daughter, chief."

"I'm way ahead of you, Jacob. I've known that fact for a long time now, probably since the first day you came with that truck. It's written all over your face every time I see you two together. She could do a lot worse—Edward, for instance. I don't know what she sees in him.

"Anyhow, I'll talk to her this evening. Wish me luck. I'm not very good at this sort of thing."

"Well, I guess I better go. Thanks for seeing me."

Charlie stood up and patted me on the back as I got ready to leave. "Why don't you and Billy come by Monday night? There's a game on. I can barbeque some hamburgers, and pop some popcorn."

"Sounds good. I'll have my dad call you. Bye."

When I got to the car, I practically slumped into the seat. Whew, that was tough. But maybe some good would come of it—that is, if Bells didn't kill me first.

~ oOo ~

The Cullens' had the most gorgeous and the largest swimming pool anywhere. It had realistic rock formation around the perimeter, and the cement surface was painted dark blue to mimic nature. The pool itself was secluded behind high walls and trees to prevent prying eyes from any glimpses of unintentional sparkles escaping into the atmosphere. It was _Eden_, situated in Forks.

Edward met Bella before she slid off the seat of the Chevy. His angelic face lit up as her hand reached out to his. He clung to it while he helped her down to the driveway's surface. He heard the ever-escalating beating of her heart at his touch.

"You have no idea how much I love having you here. Come with me to the garage. We'll take the golf cart out to the pool."

On the way, Edward smiled at her, releasing the butterflies that resided in the recesses of her stomach. The sunlight glinted off his bronze mane, and millions of diamond facets glinted from his skin. His golden eyes shone as he glanced over at her.

"I imagine that this means you've forgiven me for making those disparaging remarks about your friend, Jacob. I'm sorry I attempted to restrain you from seeing him again. It was thoughtless and cruel of me. I should have realized how my actions would reap the opposite results, no matter that my intentions were only the best. I wanted to protect you from his volatile nature. I see now the error of my thinking. You were correct. I don't believe that Jacob would ever hurt you. From, this moment on, I will trust your decisions."

Smug was the only way to describe the expression on her face, as she spoke. "Good, because you know that I will see him if I want to. And no one is going to stop me, not even a bronze haired Adonis."

"I'm extremely cognizant of that very fact," he chuckled." You are without exception, the most stubborn example of the female gender I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

"Good thing you don't need air to breathe," she laughed, "because that was quite a mouthful."

Edward made no further comment except to say, "We're here." He stopped the cart and led her to the gated pool area.

Once inside the gate, Edward removed his shirt and shorts, revealing his swim trunks. Bella was nearly blinded by the glittering beams emanating from his toned body.

Bella removed her cover-up and Edward let out a gasp. "Bella, that suit doesn't leave much to the imagination. But what I can see, I like." He winked a golden eye at her.

Racing up the rungs of the diving board, he dove off, somersaulting in the air in a precise triple revolution dive. A perfect 10, naturally. Everything Edward attempted was perfectly executed.

Timidly advancing into the pool, Bella was surprised that the water was tepid. It was like taking a bath without the soap—quite a contrast to the icy assault of the ocean at La Push.

As she waded out deeper into the pool, Edward's head suddenly popped up beside her. With the water dripping from his hair onto his face and the drops clinging to his lashes, he appeared to be a water nymph, a creature of mystical proportions. She was nearly overcome by his beauty.

"Is the water warm enough, love? We had a heater installed for you."

"It's great," she agreed. Was there nothing the Cullens couldn't afford?"

"I turned up the heater so you'd be more comfortable." He lifted her up in his arms, twirling her around in the warm liquid.

The two of them played in the water, splashing and dunking each other. Edward of course cheated, because obviously, he didn't need to take a breath. After a while, Bella's skin started to wrinkle, so she climbed out of the pool. Edward was right behind her, like a bee drawn to a flower. They both ended up on a large outdoor divan. He had an oversized beach towel ready to wrap her in. They snuggled up together, soaking in the rare sunshine.

Having Edward's face so close was doing funny things to her. There was a burning hunger coursing through her body, a feeling that she couldn't deny. She was gazing into the eyes of that angel. It was intoxicating, and she impulsively touched her lips to his mouth of cool marble. He was hesitant, but Bella was determined to get in her fill of his kisses today. She would love nothing better than to waste the rest of the day kissing Edward.

Right on cue, Edward pulled away—just as things began to heat up. It was so unfair of him. Why did he always have to be so responsible?

"Feeding time for the human," he joked, as he removed Bella's arms from his neck.

They drove back to the house and went inside. Edward whipped up a salad and a side of fruit. He enjoyed watching her eat, knowing that it made her happy. He had a strawberry mousse made especially for her. Bella felt almost guilty eating the delight when Edward couldn't join her.

The mousse tantalized every tiny taste bud on her tongue. The flavor was unbelievable—true culinary magic.

By this time, her bathing suit was dry, so they spent the rest of the afternoon listening to music and talking in Edward's room.

Bella tried her darnedest to continue their previous activity, but Edward wouldn't cooperate, and finally said, "You know, love, you're making this very difficult for me, especially since you're wearing that red enticement. I know my limits, so I think it's time to call it an evening."

"Darn, I guess it is getting kind of late—I should go." She snuck in one last kiss, and Edward had to pry her fingers from his hair.

~ oOo ~

A/N: Tusitala was the nickname the Samoans gave to Robert Louis Stevenson when he lived among them. It means Teller of Tales.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Birds and Bees

Disclaimer: all characters are the property of S. Meyer.

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><p>Charlie was waiting in the living room for an unsuspecting Bella.<p>

For some reason, a feeling of dread flooded through her, chilling her to the bone. Charlie was looking at her in a very peculiar manner.

"So, how was your day at the Cullen's pool?"

"It was good. Their pool is beautiful. Did you know it was heated?"

"I guess that was necessary, considering the bathing suit you had on." His voice took on a serious note.

"What?" Where was this conversation going? As if she didn't know . . .

"Do you mind showing your dad here, the bathing suit you're wearing?"

Crap, she was caught red-suited! Oh, no, her face would be a match for the suit too! And here it came—a blush to beat all blushes.

"I'd like to see it, if you don't mind. And you're not leaving this room until I do."

Bella raised her eyes to the ceiling as she pulled on the cover-up, revealing the suit in question. Charlie sat down immediately, his hands over his eyes. "Good lord, Bells, what in the world are you thinking? Go on, get yourself upstairs and change. When you're done, come back down. We've got to have a little chat about this."

"Dad, I'm eighteen years old. I'm not a baby anymore." After the words left her mouth, she realized that she just whined like one.

"As long as you're living under my roof, you'll follow my rules. When you get married, or have your own place, you can wear what you want."

If a sinkhole had mysteriously appeared at this moment and swallowed her whole, she would have counted it as a blessing—a _deus ex machina_ in reverse. She trudged up the stairs slowly, wondering how long she could possibly drag out a change of clothing. When she got to her room, she noticed a lavender bathing suit displayed prominently on her pillow. She did the math and it all began to add up now—her supposedly best friend, Jacob Black! It made sense. He just couldn't let it go, could he?

Everything was RED! Her face, her suit and now, she was even _seeing_ red . . .

_That dirty dog—Wait'll I get my hands on him! _But first she had to face the firing squad that was loaded and ready downstairs.

She was almost finished changing when she heard Charlie call from downstairs. "Bells, I haven't got all day. Hurry up down here."

* * *

><p>She came downstairs, her heart skipping every other beat. Charlie was sitting on the couch and patted the spot beside him. She took a couple of deep breaths and slumped onto the seat, like a pouty child. It was bad enough getting a lecture about the birds and the bees from Renee—but oh, god, from Charlie?<p>

"You know how hard this is for me to talk about, well you know . . ."

Bella looked at him, chagrined. "You can say the word, Dad—sex."

"Yeah—that word. I was hoping this subject didn't have to come up, but—"

"I know! Jacob just had to butt in. He had some nerve coming here tattling on me like some little kid."

Charlie's jaw hardened. "Hold, on. He showed real maturity coming here today. It wasn't easy for him either. He was here to prevent you from doing something stupid."

Her temperature was rising steadily. "Oh, Sure! He just doesn't want me doing something stupid with someone other than him!"

"Now, that's not being fair."

"Of course, Jacob Black can do no wrong. Let's all bow down to Saint Jacob. Maybe we should build a shrine to him. There's a perfect spot next to that big pine out back."

"We're getting off the subject here. I want to ask you something. Do you know what happens to a guy when he sees a woman dressed like you were today?"

"Yeah, I guess it sort of excites him, sexually." She was blushing again.

"That's right. A male gets aroused just by seeing a glimpse of a . . . well, let's just say a body part. His main arousal is from visual images—that and touching. It doesn't take much; he gets excited very quickly. His organs are immediately ready to perform so to speak. To put it bluntly, he has a powerful urge to pump his sperm into the girl of his choice—one he loves or is attracted to. You are apparently Jacob's choice. You know that he's is in love with you, don't you? He even confessed it to me today—not that he needed to.

"But to get back to the subject, what do you suppose happens if he doesn't get to perform that function, after he's been led up to that point."

Bella felt kind of sheepish, as she really hadn't thought about that. "I guess he thinks about something else until the feeling goes away? I don't really know."

"That's right you _don't_ know. All that fluid carrying his sperm gets backed up in the ducts and he is in serious pain for hours afterwards. Are you willing to have these guys in discomfort because of your thoughtless attire?"

Charlie peered deep into her eyes. There was no nonsense apparent in them. "Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but Jacob begged me to talk to you about dressing more modestly. He admitted that he was physically in misery after you left last Monday."

Continuing the lecture, Charlie, never once dropped his eyes from hers. "Look, I know you've never worn clothes like this before, why did you start now?"

She sighed loudly, and looking down at the floor, Bella responded with, "I couldn't find my old bathing suit, and Alice had given me these two bikinis. I wouldn't have worn either of them if I didn't have to."

"Well, you can give those other suits back to Alice. I don't want you wearing anything like that. Anyway, now you have a new suit."

Bella started to pout again. "I'm not wearing that thing upstairs, that suit belongs to Ann. I saw her in it at Jessica's last pool party."

His hand nonchalantly slipped into his pants pocket, pulling out Jacob's receipt. "Here, I want you to see this." He handed Bella the small oblong piece of paper.

"How do you explain that paper in your hand? And if you had looked more closely, you would have noticed that there are still price tags on that suit."

"Oh." Geesh, that was a clever response. She sat there, biting her lip and playing with the hair at her neck.

"And another thing young lady . . . If I ever find you walking out of this house dressed like that again, I don't care how old you are, You _will_ be grounded."

Her temper was surfacing again. "Yes, sir!"

Charlie pointed a finger at his surly daughter. "Hey, don't give me that attitude, Bells. I have one of my own. Okay, that's all I have to say on the subject. Now, I've got to get to bed. I have to work tomorrow."

Standing up, Charlie went up to his room. Boy, was he glad that was over. It was as embarrassing for him as it was for her. It had to be done though; she needed to be told the facts. He hoped he drove home his message, because he'd rather walk barefoot over razor blades than to go through that again. It was tough being a dad.

* * *

><p>Bella did <em>not<em> go to bed. She was livid. She wouldn't be able to sleep now, no matter how hard she tried.

She went up to her room, grabbed the hunk of lavender spandex from her pillow, and threw that blasted piece of crap in a drawer. Then she changed her clothes once more. A turtle neck seemed appropriate. Maybe she should wear leggings and a muffler. After all, she wouldn't want to excite any of Jacob's hormones, now, would she?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She'd tell him a thing or two, maybe even three. Bella finished dressing and tiptoed down the stairs; she could hear Charlie snoring already. Grabbing her truck keys from the hook in the utility room, she slipped out the front door.

She was so mad, that her hands were shaking, and she had to try three times to get the key into the ignition. She cringed as the engine roared to life, hoping it didn't alert Charlie. Muttering all the way to La Push, Bella had her pedal to the metal, urging the ancient beast to go forward as fast as it was able. There was no way that Jacob Black was going to dodge the bullet on this one!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Hell Hath No Fury

Disclaimer: S. Meyer is the rightful owner of Twilight.

**This is for Sabrina. I updated earlier than usual just for you**.

* * *

><p>"Bang, bang, bang!" The loud thumping on the front door was practically shaking the whole damn house. "Bang, bang, Bang!"<p>

I had fallen asleep on my crappy old couch, watching a Jackie Chan marathon on TV. I was startled awake by the insistent hammering. It was eleven PM, for cryin' out loud. What moron would be pounding on my door at this hour?

"Bang, bang, bang!" The sound was annoying me to no end. "Jeez, keep your shirt on! I'm coming already."

You'd think that once in a blue moon, I would get a full eight hours of sleep without any interruptions. But, no, that just wasn't in the cards for poor ol' Jacob Black. It was my unfortunate lot to be sleep deprived—forever, it seemed. I guess I'd have to wait 'til I was dead. Damn, now there's a pleasant thought.

Yanking open the door, Bella spilled into the room—right into my arms. I barely caught her before she face-planted onto the wood floor. All the groggy vestiges of sleep left my eyes which were now opened in shock. What the hell was she doin' here, and at practically midnight too? I tried to make light of it.

"I knew you'd finally come to your senses," I laughed.

"Let go of me, you idiot! What have you got to say for yourself?"

What . . .Uh-oh, I guess Charlie must have told her about our little conversation.

Bella began slapping my arms away like a furious humming bird. I dropped my arms quickly in utter defeat. Whew—she was mad all right—in fact, I'd never seen her _this_ mad before.

Fuming, she hissed, "Do you know how much trouble you caused me?"

Her tiny arms pushed against my chest moving us through the doorway further into the house.

"Bells, I—"

"What do you mean by talking to my dad—my DAD, Jake!"

My head snapped backward with each shove, and she kept right _on_ shoving me with every accusation she made. I was amazed at the strength in those little arms. She must've had a whopping dose of adrenaline rushing through her veins.

"How do you think I felt when Charlie gave me the lecture about the male sex, and their ever-ready organs, and what turns them on?"

"I—"

Bella poked her index finger into my shoulder while her other hand pushed me backward again. "Who do you think you are—my guardian angel?"

"What gives you the right to go protecting my virtue, huh?"

She was still in my face, lashing out at me with her fiery dragon's tongue. "Don't you think I can do that on my own? And even so, I have a mother and a father you know—that's their job. I don't need you butting in."

"Let me—"

She'd pushed me into the kitchen and I was now flattened against the far wall.

"Bells—" I started to explain.

"Don't you Bells, me!" Her chocolate eyes were ablaze with anger.

"I—"

"I don't want to listen to any of your lame excuses."

"But—"

As I was slammed flat against the wall, yeah, again—for the last time, I hoped—my head hit the sheetrock with a loud thud. I put my hand up to the back of my head. "Ow—stop it, will you? You're gonna wake up my dad. Shh . . ."

"Don't you be shushing me."

Jeez, I could barely get a word in edgewise, and everyone knew what a talker I was. I couldn't take it anymore, either. So, I did what any other red-blooded male would do—I cupped the back of her head, covering her accusing mouth with my own. That shut her up—for a few seconds anyway.

She tore away from my frontal attack and continued her tirade. "Jacob Black—if you think for one minute that your irresistible charms are going to make me forget what happened, you are sorely mistak—"

I reached my hand out bringing her face closer to me. My lips crashed down on hers once again engaging them in mortal combat. She struggled, trying to break free, but being a big guy, her struggle was useless. Besides, her adrenaline was rapidly petering out.

I spun her about, trading places, so that she now had her back to the wall. My arms were a steel trap clenched around her; there was nowhere for her to go, ha! She was right where I wanted her, and I wasn't about to let her escape.

I put everything I had into that silencer and didn't let her come up for air 'til I sensed her body relax. Actually, relax isn't the right word—it was more like—surrender? She curved into me; her body conforming to mine. A kitten—that's what she reminded me of—so soft, so small, yet so ready to pounce on me, unaware. I was a ball of yarn that she was always toying with. Didn't she realize that someday she might get tangled up in that yarn? And it looked like this might've been that day. Swee-eet!

Lifting her up toward my shoulders, I slipped my arm beneath her rear end and hoisted her up and over to the kitchen counter. I plunked her down, still holding onto her with all my might. It wasn't necessary, I guess, 'cuz she was stuck to me like a piece of Velcro. And all that time—I hate to brag—but I never once broke the kiss. No small feat even if I do say so myself.

Bella was yanking on my tee shirt, inching me closer, her fist wrapped tightly around the collar. I would have protested if I wasn't lovin' every freakin' minute of it. I couldn't make out why, but all of a sudden, her mood switched again. Bella loosened her grip on my shirt and leaned away from me.

Well, it was good while it lasted. "Damn, Bells, you are so hot when you're angry." Well, I couldn't resist saying that. It was the honest truth.

Her dark eyes flashed me a warning. "That's enough. Get me off of this counter—right this minute!"

Confused much? My hands were encircling her waist in an instant, and before you could count to three, she was standing on the floor. Her hands went to her hips, while she gazed up into my face. Now what?

Bella's lips were contorted into an ugly glower. One hand shot out, slapping my upper arm as hard as she could. She practically growled, "I hate you, Jacob Black!"

Finally, something I could understand at least. "There's a passionate emotion for you," I threw back at her—"closely related to love I would say."

Her head shook in fury. I was surprised that I didn't hear her teeth rattle. "Ugh! You make me so crazy sometimes. I could just beat the crap out of you."

"Yeah? You and who else?" I smirked at her. And then, she did the unexpected—the thing that turned my insides to mush—she burst into tears. Why in the holy hell did she do that?

Instinctively, I went to hold her. She put up her hands to stop me in my tracks.

"Don't touch me, you smug werewolf, you," she whimpered, between sniffles. "You always do this to me."

"Do what?" Damn, this conversation was going nowhere. I felt like I was skating on ree-aaly thin ice. "Talk to me, Bells—what am I doing to you?"

"Oh, sure, like you don't have the teensiest clue." Another sniffle sounded.

Her sad little face was ripping my heart to pieces. I walked cautiously toward her with my arms stretched out, inviting her into them. "C'mere, honey," I whispered. "I'm sorry, I was just trying to protect you from hormone driven jerks like me."

She backed up, wailing, "Jake . . . Jake . . ." She turned and rushed out the door, still crying.

I stood in the doorway, idiot that I was, wondering what the hell just happened. It was useless to run after her; so I just stared with my mouth open as her truck roared down the road.

Great—and I was sleeping so good too . . .

* * *

><p>Bella cried all the way home, but she couldn't understand why. Jacob was her best friend, and now there was all this confusion in her brain. She loved Edward, didn't she? Could someone love two people at the same time? Maybe Jacob was right, anger was close to love. But he was so infuriating; she just wanted to slap his face off. Why was she kissing him then?<p>

She had to admit, it was pretty darned distracting to say the least. She could finally compare the two. Edward was so reticent—he always held back—not Jacob. He was a force to be reckoned with. He let it all out, and it spoke volumes. He was in love with her, and she knew it; but was her love for _him_ enough?

She couldn't believe his audacity in talking to Charlie though. He even had the guts to give out intimate details of his own anatomy for Pete's sake!

By the time she got home, Bella had cooled off some, and her thinking became clearer. She hadn't realized what that stupid little bikini had done to Jacob. When she really thought about it, she was being unknowingly cruel even. It was worse than the frustration she felt when Edward stopped her advances. When the shoe was on the other foot, it sort of pinched a little.

Now she started to feel guilty, like maybe she should go apologize to him. He spent $74 on that little piece of spandex that she so hastily chucked into her drawer. She didn't even have the decency to thank him. No, she just lit into him for embarrassing her in front of Charlie. He certainly didn't have money to throw away, not like Edward. That was a big sacrifice on his part, a widow's mite, if you will. His car was always in need of parts—always.

Oh, god, she had erroneously accused him of entertaining another girl at his home too. How he must have felt! Good grief, was that jealousy? Was she actually jealous? Just the idea of another girl with _her_ Jacob . . . holy crow—_HER_ Jacob?

Finally, Bella had put a label on it. She _was_ feeling jealous, and he _was_ her Jacob. Now, the trouble _was_—what the heck was she going to do about it?

* * *

><p>AN: Wow! This was a lot of fun to write. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it. Please review for me.

**For Sabrina**: If you want to see Jake get the girl, then you're in luck. Most of my stories end that way. Start with A Change of Heart. All of my one shots, except for Breaking Point and A Quiet Awakening make Jacob the victor.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Pool Party**

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of S. Meyer

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><p>Bella got up in the morning—yeah, that's right, <em>got<em> up, because she never really slept—and headed downstairs. What was she going to do? Her head throbbed, her heart ached, and her stomach was nauseated. Should she stay away from both of them? That didn't seem like a viable option. Anyway, one or the other would come tearing into her home, and drag her out the door, or at least guilt her into going out with one of them. What a predicament.

In the long run, she decided that she couldn't ignore either one of the boys, but especially not Jacob, not after she had treated him so shamefully. He was her sun and she couldn't live without her sun. She would curl up and wither away like a seedling left in the shade.

Bella did the only thing that kept her mind away from all the drama in her life—she scrubbed the kitchen and the bathrooms, washed the floors, vacuumed the rugs and did the laundry. And still, her heart was uncertain as ever. She finally collapsed, exhausted.

She sat at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. She was glad that Charlie would be at the station all day, so she could wallow in self pity without him invading her privacy.

Charlie—good grief, he must've narrowly missed having a coronary last night. Talking about the birds and the bees had always been a skittish subject that he happily delegated to Renee. Actually, her mother had never covered the subject as thoroughly as he had, though. It was amazing that she learned something from him. It was also humiliating, since she thought of herself as a full grown woman, and there she was being lectured on the workings of the male sex from her father.

The phone on the kitchen wall rang; she jumped at the sound of it. She walked over and lifted the receiver. It was Edward.

"Are you ready, love?" his honey sweet voice asked.

"For what?"

"How easily you forget me. We're celebrating Emmett's birthday today. Don't you remember? We'll be using the pool again before the cooler weather sets in. You _are_ coming aren't you?"

"Oh, right . . . I'll be ready. I'm sorry. I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"I'll forgive you as long as I was one of those things on your mind." His musical laugh echoed through the line. She loved hearing his laugh. Just like his voice, it was melodious, like a finely tuned violin.

Bella hurried to get ready. Without hesitation, she retrieved the lavender point of contention that Jacob spent his hard earned money on. She pulled off the tags (yeah, they were on there all right), and put it on. Grabbing her straw hat and donning her cover-up, she walked down the stairs, ready to go.

Outside the house, that unmistakable silver Volvo drove up. It was quickly followed by a knock at her door. She nearly tripped in her haste to answer it.

"Edward," she breathed. Maybe his presence would divert her attention away from that recent fiasco with Jacob His pale features beamed as she spoke his name even without the sun's rays. He needed no assistance to emit the happy glow; just the sight of Bella—that's all it took.

* * *

><p>Curious, Bella turned to Edward as they drove side by side in the golf cart. She asked, "So, how old is Emmett today?"<p>

Smiling broadly, Edward answered, "He turned seventy two years old this very morning"

"Wow, he ages well. He doesn't look a day over seventy one."

Edward chuckled softly.

They arrived at the gated area in a few minutes time. Edward escorted Bella toward the noisy gathering.

Most of the Cullen clan were already poolside except for Alice and Jasper.

Bella and Edward walked through the gate in time to witness his _big_ brother cannon-balling into the water splashing it everywhere. Rosalie was stretched out on a chaise lounge complaining loudly. "Emmett, you just got my hair wet!"

Ever the clown of the family, Emmett retorted, "Don't worry, babe, I'll get the rest of you on my next dunk." He hit the water again as Rosalie let out a shriek. Then, he immediately catapulted himself out of the pool and leaning over her, shook the droplets of water from his hair. It rained down on Rosalie landing on her beautiful, but now scowling face.

Quick as a flash, he hoisted her up over his shoulder in caveman fashion, and threw her flailing into the pool. She was out of the water instantly, chasing after the perpetrator. She tackled him easily enough and they both landed in a grassy area. Emmett, being the big guy that he was, turned the tables on her, rolling them until he had her pinned beneath him.

He playfully attacked her neck and nose with his sweet kisses. Then he peered into her golden eyes and in his booming voice brayed, "You know you love me, Rosie!"

Rosalie pushed his huge torso away from her. "Yes, I love you—now get off me you big lug."

"Not yet. C'mon, Rosie, prove it to me. Give your big guy a smooch to be proud of."

Rosalie grabbed Emmett's neck and stopped his foolish chatter. He moaned into her mouth as their lips moved together fluidly.

"Get a room," Edward shouted, laughing.

"Now, why didn't I think of that?" He grinned mischievously at his lady love. "Let's go back to our bedroom so I can help you unwrap my birthday present in private." He lifted her into his brawny arms before she could protest.

"Emmett," Esme chided, "Not in front of Bella, please. Behave yourself."

"Sure, Mom," he replied rather petulantly. "But Bella knows what's what. She's a big girl now, isn't she Edward?"

"I wouldn't know," his brother snapped.

"Oh, sorry, pal. That's right—you haven't scored any points with her yet, have you . . . Bummer!"

Bella was mortified, and her cheeks flushed brilliantly.

"Emmett, that's enough. The poor girl is blushing," Esme chastised.

"Wow, look at how fast that red splotch is spreading. Ow . . . what did I say?"

Rosalie had backhanded him in the chest. "Just because it's your birthday, it doesn't give you the right to act like such a jerk."

"But, honey, it's in my nature. I can't help it."

"Don't remind me," she smirked. "And could you please put me down for heaven's sake?"

"I'll put you down—down in the deep end. Hold your nose Rosie, girl!" Emmett ran with Rosalie still in his arms and jumped back in the pool. The clear liquid spewed in the air, the ripples causing waves to slosh over the pool's rim. Rosalie was sputtering, and cursing under her breath. Emmett was laughing uncontrollably.

Edward turned his back on his siblings, and sliding an arm about Bella's waist, led her to an empty chaise. "Don't mind Emmett. He's just a little high spirited today."

"What else is new?" she quipped, as she waltzed around the chaise admiring the plants.

Edward suddenly dazzled her with one of his seductive smiles. "Are you going to walk around dry all day, or are you going to join me in the water?"

"I'll get in there soon enough. Just give me a minute."

"Don't take too long, Ms. Swan."

Edward was a blur as he removed his outer clothing and dove head first into the pool.

Bella shyly exposed herself in her new swimware. It was one thing to be on display for Edward—quite another to have his whole family staring at her. After that exercise in humiliation with her dad last night, she felt doubly exposed.

She finally dropped the cover-up on the seat and ambled over to the edge of the decking.

"Hey—look, everybody, Bella's got legs!" Emmett chortled.

Rosalie snarled at him. "Would you like to keep those eyes in your head, brainless? I can remove them for you. No problem." She looked dead serious.

Emmett put on his most innocent expression. "Babe—I'm just sayin'."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back at the Taj . . .<p>

I had my hands elbow deep in grease and auto innards when I turned to Embry for some advice. "I really did it this time, Embry. I crashed and burned. I don't know if she'll ever speak to me again. And I wouldn't blame her. What the hell was I thinking? I'm such an idiot. Why couldn't I have just left things alone? She would have cooled down, and things could have returned to our pre-fight normal. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss her holding and kissing me, tho'. Hand me that washer, will you?"

Embry looked surprised, as he put the washer in my hand "She kissed you?"

"Why are you so shocked? Yes, it actually happened. Quil, tell him."

"Yeah, man, I'm a witness. I couldn't believe my eyes, or my ears. Bella was all over him. The sparks were really flying. No telling what would've happened if I didn't go barging in when I did."

"Thanks to you, the one good chapter of my sorry excuse for a life has been edited from the book. Now, I may never get that chance again."

Rolling his eyes, Embry retorted, "Give it up, already. Your life is such a _tragedy_. Try living with my mother, then you'll have somethin' to whine about.

"I have to admit, that was a very poetic line, though. Hmmm . . . 'Edited from the book'. I'll have to remember that one. But—at least you had a chapter, my book hasn't even been started yet; it's just a bunch of blank pages."

"Whose fault is that," I countered.

Quil started to complain. "Dammit, if you two don't stop talking like philosophers, I'm leaving. This whole conversation is vomit worthy."

"Okay, Mr. Expert in the female department—what in your worthy opinion would you do in this case." I placed the washer in position and tightened the screw in frustration.

"Just forget about her. That's what I'd do. There are plenty of chicks out there just waiting for a booty call. And let me tell you, I know for a fact that some of them have got their booties anxiously waiting on you. So stop moanin' like a lovesick cow."

I sooo wanted to belt him—right then and there. "You know, Quil, I can't be like you. If a booty call was the only thing I was lookin' for, then I _could_ forget about her. But that's not the problem. I'm in love with Bella; don't you get it? Probably not . . .

I'm surprised you can even tell one girl from another. It's like you've placed a paper bag over each girl's head; they're all the same to you. Someday, Quil, you're gonna fall in love, and when you do, I hope to see you fall headlong into that trench with the rest of us poor slobs."

Quil let out a burst of air, in a jeering fashion. "What a pansy you've turned into. You're a disgrace to the male species."

I whirled around so fast, I nearly knocked Embry over.

He threw his hands up to block me. "Damn, get those greasy hands away from me, Jake. My mom just bought me this shirt. She'll kill me if I get grease all over it."

"Quil and I broke up, laughing. Crap, and I was so looking forward to kickin' Quil's butt.

Embry joined in the laugh fest as he picked up a rag and tossed it at me. "We're getting nowhere fast. I think it's time to turn this problem over to someone who can actually help."

Quil and Embry both looked at each other. "Leah," they echoed.

* * *

><p>AN: What do ya' think? Can Leah help get him out of this mess?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Sage Advice

Disclaimer: S. Meyer is the owner of Twilight.

* * *

><p>Embry and Quil waited while I washed up and changed my clothes. The twosome and I trotted over to the Clearwaters' residence. I was hopeful that Leah could solve my dilemma. She was a girl, right? She knew something about the mysterious workings of a girl's heart. Would she share her wisdom with me though?<p>

No one answered the door, so we went around to the backyard. Leah was hanging laundry on the line.

Her usual scowl was set in place. "Don't even go there" she snarled. "The damn dryers on the fritz again. What do you three idiots want anyway?"

Leah's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Wait a minute . . . You go tell Sam, I am not patrolling tonight. Been there, done that—two nights in a row."

"Sam doesn't even know we're here," Embry explained.

"Well, I'm not subbing for any of you, so go find another wolf to slip into your slot."

"That's not it either, Leah. We're here on a mission of mercy." Quil pointed at Jacob. "This poor boy needs your womanly advice—badly. Apparently he didn't find mine very helpful."

"Imagine that," she said in a sarcastic tone. "Girl trouble, huh? Now why would I want to go and help _Irresistible_, here? Give me one good reason."

"How about a bad reason?" Embry quipped.

Leah put the last clothespin on the shirt she was hanging, and turned to Embry. "Okay, let's have it then."

"How about we won't have to relive his angst fest every time we phase?"

"I'm impressed. That's a bad enough reason. Good job.

"All right—I'm doing this for the benefit of the whole pack. Now you two scram, and leave Jake with me."

* * *

><p>"Why in the world would you buy Bella a bathing suit? That was the height of stupidity. Gawd, and here I thought you had already reached that pinnacle years ago. And going to Charlie? What was the matter with you; were you drunk?"<p>

"Lay off, Leah. You know I don't drink."

"Whatever. Well, at least that could've been an excuse. I guess, you're the real thing then—a genuine idiot. You know, you're lucky it was Bella. If it woulda been me—well, let's just say you wouldn't be fathering any children in the future."

"Jeez, thanks for being so sympathetic. Your compassion amazes me."

"Hey, moron, I didn't say I wouldn't help you. I was just stating the obvious. Anyway, I feel for you. I can see that your heart was in the right place, it's your brain that was out in left field.

"Now here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna write her an apology, and send some flowers and a box of chocolates to her house. That should soften her up. And don't be going over there; you don't want to look pathetic, just a little remorseful. Got that? You've gotta let her come to you."

"Great advice, but I don't have a cent in my pocket for flowers or candy. I'm not exactly Shakespeare either." A big sigh escaped. I couldn't help it. "She'll probably laugh; my letter will sound really stupid."

"Damn, what is it with you wolfboys? You're always broke. Okay, I tell you what—I'll lend you fifty bucks. But don't tell anybody. I don't want this act of charity to ruin my reputation as a shrew. It keeps the wolves from my door, although not today, apparently.

"But back to your letter—google lyrics from some love songs, for god's sake! Who said your letter had to be original? Write your feelings down, like you're talking to her. Be honest; let her see into your heart. And if all that doesn't work—switch to plan B—cry, whine and grovel. Women are suckers for tears."

* * *

><p>Edward swam to the edge of the pool, and reaching out his arms, beckoned to her. Without thinking, Bella jumped in, and was immediately safe in his embrace<p>

They wiled away the time, playing water games. She clung to Edward's neck while he swam, gliding along lazily for the ride. He would throw her in the air gently again and again, smiling as she splashed back down into the warm water.

Finally, her arms and legs were beginning to get tired, so she floated to the edge of the decking. Alice and Jasper had just arrived; she spotted them as they meandered through the gate. Bella followed the edging around to the ladder and climbed out.

Alice appeared startled. "I don't believe it! You actually bought yourself a piece of clothing. I'm thrilled for you. Does this mean you'll go shopping with me next time?"

A thought suddenly struck her out of the blue and a shadow passed over her face. "By the way, what happened to the bikinis I gave you?"

"Well, the top to the yellow one floated off to sea. The other one—no offence, Alice, but Charlie doesn't want me to wear it. It caused a bit of a problem. But, just so you know, I didn't buy this suit; Jacob bought it for me."

Edward's head jerked up at that revelation.

Tilting her head to one side, she divulged, "So that's why Jacob kept pumping me for your size last week."

His golden eyes flashing with indignation, Edward raced up the ladder and was immediately at Alice's side. "As usual, I'm the last one to know," he growled. "Why didn't you say something about it? I don't like being left in the dark like that, Alice."

Alice shook her head; now _she_ was irritated. Grumbling, she replied, "You know I can't see past those mutts. He could have bought her a house, and I would have missed it."

"Like he could ever afford a house . . ." he muttered derisively. He then turned his attention to Bella. "I'm surprised he could even afford that suit you're wearing."

Bella started toward the chaise, reaching for the towel. Edward was right behind her. "That's hardly fair, Edward. You shouldn't judge people by their ability to buy expensive . . . stuff!"

He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. "What's not fair is the fact that Jacob Black gets to buy you an intimate piece of clothing, and you balk when I pay for your lunch—a measly couple of bucks!"

"I've already explained that to you. I don't want to be obligated. I have nothing to give to you in return."

"But you do have something to give to that mangy dog, is that it? I can only imagine what he expects in return."

By now, her temper was beginning to surface. "That's not like Jacob at all, and you know it! Furthermore, he would never expect me to repay him with sexual favors."

"Wouldn't he? He's a guy, love—a hormone driven teenager. What else do you think he expects from you? Sometimes you can be so obtuse."

"And sometimes you can be so . . . overbearing." Bella began to put her cover-up over her wet bathing suit.

"Overbearing? If I'm overbearing, it's due to the fact that I don't trust that filthy mutt. He's using your friendship to get what he wants. And you're too naïve to see it. Haven't you figured that out yet? He lusts after you, Bella."

She glared at Edward. "And you don't? Maybe he just doesn't mask it as well as you do. At least, he's honest about it. I know where I stand with Jacob, but I know in my heart that he would never hurt me—not like you did."

"Alice," she yelled, "can you please take me home?"

That hit a nerve, and Edward's face contorted in pain. "I'm sorry . . . Don't leave. I just hate that you go out there and fraternize with him. It drives me crazy with jealousy. I worry that someday he might haul you off and have his way with you."

"Are you afraid that he'll give me what you won't? Or are you more afraid that I might enjoy it?"

"Either . . . I would hope that it would never happen, but if it did, I don't know that I would be able to accept it. I can't abide taking that mutt's leavings. Mark my words, if you're not careful, you'll wind up pregnant. And then you'll come back crawling on your knees, begging me to forgive you."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," she spit out. "I have to admit tho'; you _were_ truthful about it."

Edward was now starting to panic. "Bella—wait—you need to think seriously about your future. Do you honestly believe that Jacob could provide for you? I can give you anything that money can buy. All he can give you is heartache and another child every year. He'll drag you down with him. You'll be stuck in a hovel living paycheck to paycheck. Is that what you want?"

"All I know is that right now, Jacob is part of my life; he always will be. I can't cut him out of it. He means too much to me so take it or leave it."

"Bella . . . love, please. Listen to me. I want what's best for you."

She closed herself off to his pleading. "Alice, are you ready?"

Alice was standing by the gate. She jiggled her head in exasperation at her brother. He sure hammered the final nail in _that_ coffin—way to go Edward. There went her last hope for a new sister-in-law.

Her tinkling voice cut through the embarrassed hush that fell over the revelers. "C'mon Bella. Let's go."

Bella looked back one last time. "Happy birthday, Emmett. Sorry to spoil your party."

"What's she yakking about," he remarked to Rosalie. "That was so totally cool. I like seein' a girl show a little spunk. I can't wait 'til she's changed. Can you just imagine her as a newborn? Hell, it'll be freakin' awesome."

Glancing over his shoulder at the jovial vampire, Edward hissed these three little words, "Shut up, Emmett."

* * *

><p>The drive to her home was accompanied by a deafening silence. Bella finally couldn't stand it anymore. She had to know what was going through her friend's mind. She turned to her and blurted, "Say something, Alice."<p>

Sounding resigned, Alice replied, "What's there to say? Edward blew it tonight. I can't see your future anymore. That can only mean one thing—your future no longer includes us. It seems you'll be tangled up with one of those wolves."

_One wolf in particular_, Bella thought. _Looks like I'll be in your arms tonight, Jacob._ Although after tearing into him the way she did, would he want her back? It's Jacob—how could she even think that. Of course he would still want her . . . bad behavior and all.

* * *

><p>AN: Next chapter, some clarity.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Flowers and Candy

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight.

* * *

><p>As soon as Bella opened her front door, the scent of roses permeated the air with their sweet fragrance. She walked into the kitchen and there was Charlie leaning against the table and sporting a huge grin. He turned his body sideways and with a flourish of his hand, revealed a vase of a dozen beautiful red roses. Sitting beside the bouquet, she spied a box of her favorite brand of assorted chocolates, and an envelope addressed to her.<p>

"Dad," she began.

"Don't look at me. Read the card that came with them."

Pulling the tiny sentiment from its holder, she read:

Love bites,

Love bleeds,

Love can also heal your heart.

I love you Bella,

Your Jacob

She knew Jacob was not a poet in the least, but these simple lines made her heart swell with tenderness. But then her more practical side bullied its way out of the back of her mind.

"He shouldn't have," she gasped. "He doesn't have money to waste like this."

"Now don't you go spoiling it for Jacob. Nothing a guy hates worse than a woman complaining when he does something nice for her! Just be grateful. And open up those chocolates. Your old man's been waiting for you to come home, so I could have one. You are going to share with me, aren't you?"

"Yes, but not 'til after we've eaten supper. You'll ruin your appetite. I haven't started cooking yet."

"Too late—I already had my dinner. I figured you'd be late coming back from the Cullens', so I brought home some food from Long Wong's. It's in the fridge. Can I open that box now?"

Charlie ripped off the covering on the chocolates and dug right in.

She hardly got the next sentence out before he had a piece in his mouth. "Be my guest. Wait—save me some of the caramels. Last time you ate nearly all of them."

"Okay, kiddo," he stammered, the gooey caramel sticking to his teeth. "One more, that's all, the rest of it is yours."

Bella was too busy removing Jacob's letter from the envelope to even care that her dad was already chewing on the next chocolate morsel. She excitedly unfolded the paper:

_Dear Bella,_

Just then the phone rang. She quickly picked up the receiver and breathlessly uttered, "Jacob?"

She was rewarded with a loud sigh and then dead silence at the other end. "Oh, it's you," she mumbled.

"Please, I need to talk to you." Edward sounded desperate. She almost found herself feeling sorry for him.

Her eyes rolled up so that she was staring at the ceiling. What additional piece of wisdom could he possibly impart to her? "I think I already heard all the talk I want to. There's nothing more I need to talk to you about. You made it perfectly clear that you think I'm incapable of making sound decisions. You also apparently feel that I can be sweet talked into _giving it up_ without thinking about the consequences. Well let me tell you something, Mr. Cullen. If I wind up living in a hovel with sixteen children, that'll be none of your business. It'll be my life, and my choice. And believe me; I'd rather drop dead than go traipsing back to you for your almighty forgiveness. You're not my confessor, Edward. I don't need your blessing or your forgiveness.

"Bella, you need to listen to me," he entreated.

"No . . . no . . . I don't. Good bye, Edward. I hope you find someone who can be persuaded a little easier than I can—someone who doesn't have a mind of her own."

"You mustn't say goodbye yet—I haven't finished." _Oh yes, you have_, she thought. "Bella . . . wait—"

Click. She put the receiver back on its cradle, shutting off his last attempt to schmooz her into coming back to him.

"Jerk," she muttered. _What did I ever see in that . . . jerk! Jake can be a jerk sometimes too, but at least he's a lovable jerk. He doesn't try to make my decisions for me either_. _He_ _lets me make my own mistakes. And right now, the only mistake I can think about is my mistake in deciding to be with Edward for the rest of eternity. Sure, he can give me material things—but is that all there is to a happy life? I don't think so!_

Bella started ascending the stairs, clutching Jacob's letter in her hand. Charlie looked at her, and asked, "Where are you going, young lady? Aren't you going to eat something?"

"Later—first I want to read this." She waved the folded paper in the air. "I'm taking it up to my room."

"Oh, I get it," he huffed, "Private affairs of the heart, huh? He's not even here in person, and I'm cramping his style."

Rolling her eyes, Bella chided, "Daaaad . . ."

"Hey, I can take a hint. I was young and in love once too, you know."

* * *

><p>She went to her room, turned on the light, and climbed onto her purple bedspread. Sitting on the bed with her legs crossed under her, she smoothed out the creases on the paper and began to read it again—this time without interruption.<p>

_Dear Bella,_

_I hope you are reading this letter, because I just had to tell you how sorry I am for talking to Charlie and upsetting you like I did. You have to know why I did it. I wanted to protect you from myself. I want you so badly, that it scares me; it makes me do crazy things. I can't hold back this feeling any more. I was so afraid to let it show, but now it's just gotten so much stronger. It's busting to get out._

_That bikini nearly did me in, and I'm not kidding. I know I act like a jerk sometimes, but I'm a jerk that's in love with you. Are you reading this? I love you Bells, but I never want to hurt you, or persuade you to do something that you're not ready for. You can understand that, right?_

_When you walked out that door last night, I thought, "Is this the last time I'll ever get to see her?" That thought just about tore me up. If you do leave me, sure, I'll still exist, but I'll never truly be alive again. Adam was so right; it was better to live outside the Garden with her than inside without her._

_Jeez, Bells, please say you'll forgive me. I can't eat; I can't sleep. All I can think about is what I need to do to make everything all right between us again._

_It's obvious that I can't give you all the things that Edward can, but if you have love in your life you can make up for what you don't have. And if you don't have that love, no matter how much money or things you have, it'll never be enough—not ever._

_I already said it, but I'll say it again. I love you, Bells, and I always will._

_Till my heart stops beating,_

_Love,_

_Your Jacob_

The tears were welling up in her eyes as she read the heartfelt words on the page. She had to stop once or twice to wipe the drops away. Bella couldn't see the page through them, and she wanted to see every single expression of his love for her.

My gosh, that letter was so sweet. It was as if his heart was speaking directly to hers. Each of his words leapt from the page and landed softly in the center of her soul, filling it with Jacob's warmth and sunshine.

She reread his letter twice more, letting the words saturate her very being. He hadn't given up on her; he loved her still. And what's more, Bella knew that she felt the same way about Jacob.

Folding the paper back to its original form, she pressed it to her fluttering heart. Oblivious to Charlie's stare, she floated down the steps from her bedroom. She heard him mutter, "That good, huh?" Then he sat down in his lazy boy and fiddled with the remote.

While the mu shu pork and fried rice were heating up, she sat at the table gazing at the roses and wondering when he would call her. When she had finished eating, she went upstairs to shower, but was getting a bit impatient. There was no call from Jacob yet.

It was getting late and still she hadn't heard from him. Maybe she should make the first move.

Charlie got up from the couch, stretched, yawned and said, "Goodnight, Bells. I'm heading up to my bedroom. See you tomorrow, kiddo."

She waited till she could hear the door to his room shut. She snuck out the front of the house, with keys in hand in a déjà vu of last night. This time however, she wasn't burning with flames of anger; instead she was drowning in a wave of love. Heck, there was not a single lifeboat in sight, and what's more, she didn't even care!

* * *

><p>There was a knock at Leah's door, and a young man standing there with a long-stemmed yellow rose and a small box of candy. Leah stared at the guy with a blank expression. "I think you have the wrong house." Was he kidding? No one—and I mean no one ever sent Leah flowers and candy. It never happened even when she was dating Sam, huh?<p>

"Are you Leah Clearwater?" He looked puzzled.

"Well, yeah."

"Then these are yours." He handed the goods over to her, then cocking an eyebrow, placed his palm out expecting a tip.

Leah noted his outstretched palm. "Did you want a tip? Here's one for ya'. Get lost, I'm broke."

The young man laughed and winked at her. "You're cute—and feisty. I like that in a girl. I'd love to take you out some time. Here's my card. Give me a call."

For once, Leah didn't have a comeback. And he was rather cute himself, cocky, but cute. Those hazel eyes, dark hair, and confident grin confirmed that. She smiled and slipped his card into her pocket.

She returned to the living room and checked the note that came with the flower. It was attached to the rose with a white ribbon. Taking the card out of its holder, she read the short note:

_Dear Leah,_

_I took your advice._

_Thanks for your help._

_Your pack brother,_

_Jake_

Well, whaddya know, finally some respect. That was very thoughtful. Bella was a lucky girl. Good quality candy, too. Leah reached into her pocket and read the other card. And Leah smiled for the second time that day.

* * *

><p>The clock on the wall was fast approaching ten o'clock. I was on pins and needles waiting for her call. Dragging my hand through my hair, I continued wearing a path in the floor with my constant pacing. I couldn't relax until I heard her voice again. Did she read my letter? Did she think it was too corny? Maybe I shouldn't have put that bit in there about Adam and Eve. God, I just wished that she would call already! I was ready to lose my mind.<p>

Billy put his hand out and stopped me as I walked by the couch for the umpteenth time. "Son, will you stop pacing back and forth. You're making me nervous. I'm trying to watch the news."

"Sorry, I'm just a little anxious. She should have called by now. Do you think she read my letter? I hope she liked the roses. Don't all women like roses?"

Slapping his cheek in feigned annoyance, Billy jerked his thumb in the direction of their phone. "Pick it up and talk to her. That's why the good lord gave you a tongue. That's my fatherly advice for tonight. Now, take it to your room so I can watch the news in peace."

"But Leah said not to talk to her, to let her come to me. I don't want to appear . . . you know . . . desperate."

Billy's mouth dropped open. "Well, aren't you?"

"Well—yeah—but does _she_ really need to know that?" I nodded my head, like the idiot I was.

He jerked his thumb for the second time. Taking the cell to my room, I teetered back and forth . . . should I call her . . . or should I wait a little longer? How long should I wait? I wasn't sure—but one thing _was_ for sure—I would be a stark raving lunatic by morning if something didn't break tonight.

It was ten thirty. Billy turned off the TV and I helped him get in bed. He grabbed my arm as I turned to go, "Don't worry, Jacob, you've got that _Black_ charisma. She'll come around."

I lay down on my bed, still battling in my head whether or not to call. Tossing and turning, I thought about phasing and going for a long run. But what if she called while I was out in the forest? That would suck.

Just when I thought—ahh, the hell with it, I heard the pounding at the front door.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Adrenaline surged through my body. This was it; answer the door, or jump out the back window?

* * *

><p>AN: What would you do?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:A Declaration of Independence

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight.

* * *

><p>Bang, bang, bang!<p>

"Please, Jake—open up! I need to talk to you."

Was she crying? Damn, I couldn't take that—not again. I'd sooner have her yelling at me instead.

"I know you're in there. Jake . . . I love you . . . do you hear me?"

What was that? I scrambled to the door, jerking it open. She sailed right into me, her little arms immediately around my neck in a chokehold.

Confused as ever, I muttered, "Cmon, Bells, let's take this out to the garage. I don't want to wake up my dad."

Jeez, the girl wouldn't let me go; I had to hand-carry her to our safe haven—not that I cared. Hell, me care? Not on your life! I was in heaven, and I had an angel cradled in my arms.

I sat down on an old stuffed chair that once died in our living room. I was hoping it wouldn't cave in with the weight of both of us on it. It was in worse shape than the sofa inside the house, if that was possible.

There I was with the only girl in the world sitting on my lap, still crying. I didn't know what to do, so I just held her next to my heart, placing my hand behind her head and snugging it to my shoulder. I kissed her hair, and smoothed it away from her face. Rocking her gently on my lap, I whispered her name repeatedly, and added, "It's okay, honey . . . it's okay. Go ahead and cry. Don't hold back, let it all out."

I'd be lyin' if I said I didn't enjoy having her this close to me, with my arms wrapped around her tiny frame. But I was also wondering, how long this crying was going to last. I wanted her to repeat the words that I waited so long to hear. I wanted to hear her voice forming actual sentences. I wanted to look at her face, for cryin' out loud. Damn, wrong choice of words there.

At long last, her breaths began to hitch in silent sobs. She drew away from me, her eyes red rimmed, and her cheeks, tear-stained. "I got your shirt all wet," she lamented; her voice flat.

I shrugged my shoulders. "So?"

She sniffled once and looked away, gazing at my upper arm. "You didn't call me. I . . . I had to come over here to see you . . . to make things right again, like you said." Bella started absentmindedly fingering the shoulder seam of my tee. I could feel the tingles penetrate my skin clear through the cotton.

"Those roses were beautiful, and the chocolates—how did you know they were my favorite? That was really sweet of you even though I don't deserve it.

"Sometimes I wonder why you put up with me. I've been so mean to you, brushing aside your feelings as if they didn't matter to me. I want you to know that they do matter and I'm sorry that I acted so uncaring. I do care about you, and you need to understand that.

"I never thanked you for buying me that bathing suit either. You could have spent that money on parts for your car. But, no—you took that money and spent it on something that I didn't even have the decency to show my appreciation for. It was such a sacrifice, so generous of you. I'm thanking you now for thinking of me, and for being my friend when I needed one."

I noticed a small smile inching along her lips as she pushed on.

"I was so stupid to think that you had another girl in your room that day too. It took me by surprise how jealous I was. You were _my_ Jacob, and yet I never let you see that."

Bella wasn't much good at expressing her feelings, so this was really a mind boggling revelation. And believe me, my mind at this point was already pretty boggled.

I waited to let her finish, knowing how hard it would be for her to continue if I interrupted.

She placed her hand lightly on my shoulder, and looked up at me with such a sad expression. "I loved your letter, Jake. It made my heart ache for all the pain I caused you. And here you were apologizing to me, when all the while, I was the one who needed to apologize. Can you please forgive me?"

Her eyes began brimming with tears again.

I reached out with one of my fingers, catching the tears before they rained down on her cheeks again. "Bells, please don't cry anymore. I can't stand it. I forgive you. But you need to forgive me too, for going to Charlie. That was the most idiotic thing I'd ever done in my entire life."

Her arms immediately snaked around my neck as she hugged me. "I forgive you," she murmured against my cheek, and sighed once more.

Bella had revealed so much, but I was getting impatient for the one thing I was dying for. I couldn't wait a minute longer. I had to hear it!

Drawing her face away from me, I angled her head so that our eyes would meet. Without hesitating I blurted out, "Did you mean what you said before I opened the door? Is it true . . . That you love me?" I closed my eyes and held my breath, 'til I got her answer.

"That's what I came here to tell you. Yes, I love you . . . and I'm sorry that I screamed at you last night. I was awful to you. You were only trying to protect me. I can't believe I even slammed your head into the wall. Does it still hurt?"

She rattled on about some other stuff, but I zeroed in on the few syllables that got my attention—_Yes, I love you_. My brain shut out everything else, closing in on those four glorious words—words that would change my pitiful life forever. I was almost delirious with joy.

I finally opened my eyes wide and stared at her in unbelief. My mouth started working too. "You love me? You really love me?" Geesh, how corny could I get? I was sounding like Sally Fields in her acceptance speech at the Academy Awards.

Bella smiled through her tears. "Weren't you paying attention? That's what I just said."

"I know but . . . I just . . . god, Bells, I've dreamed of hearing you say that for years. It's hard to take in. I can barely believe it."

"Believe it," she murmured, as she placed her cheek next to mine again.

I was a pile of goo. Victoria could have come in right then and torn me to pieces. I wouldn't have been able to defend myself. If that girl only knew the power she held over me. My breath whooshed out of me. Hooooh! Be still my heart . . .

* * *

><p>We sat together in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Bella was stroking the hair at the back of my head. I was as contented as a puppy getting' his belly rubbed. But then a selfish thought entered my head. I shifted my weight slightly and Bella jerked her head up.<p>

"What ?" she asked.

Those chocolate circles peering back at me, were full of expectation. I had to let her know what I was feeling. Sooo, unable to hold back the smug look on my face, I answered. "Do you think that maybe you could kiss me again?"

Was she blushing? Why was she blushing?

"Do you really want me to?"

_Dumb question, Bella_. "Do I really need to answer that?"

All of a sudden she grabbed my face in both of her hands gliding her lips along mine. Man, that girl could kiss. I think the heat in my already burning body rose a couple degrees in temperature. Bella was fanning the flames. Repositioning herself, she rose up on her knees pushing herself ever closer to me. My arms instinctively moved to her waist helping her in that endeavor. As she stretched to better meet up with my lips, it happened.

That stupid old rickety chair let out a groan. It shook precariously, wobbled and then crashed to the floor of the garage. Luckily, I took the full force of the tumble since Bella was still holding me tight. I pretty much figured a bruised butt was well worth it.

After the initial impact, the weight of her body toppled me onto my back. When the final shock wore off, we exploded with laughter.

"Holy cow, Jake," she bellowed. "You really know how to show a girl a good time!"

"I do my best," I quipped.

All at once, she gasped. "Oh my gosh, I guess we shouldn't be laughing. You just landed on the cement. Are you all right?"

I smirked at her and said, "I don't know, you wanna take a look?"

She called my bluff. "Maybe later."

As my mouth dropped open at her statement, she took advantage of the situation. Leaning into me, her lips succeeded in their search and rescue mission, and got in a couple more totally awesome lip smackers. Then dammit, it was getting late and she had to leave me—leave me wanting more—way more.

Bella climbed off of me, and I sat up. She turned and began walking to her truck. I ran after her and grabbed her in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground.

I kissed her cheek and inhaled her scent one last time. "Good night, Bells."

"Night, Jake. Call me."

I nodded. That was a no-brainer. I watched as she pulled out of the driveway, following her with my eyes clear down to the end of the road. When she was out of sight, a sense of loss washed over me. I would be counting the minutes 'til she was back in my arms again.

* * *

><p>That night, I went over in my mind everything that she said to me. She loved the flowers—and the candy—and the letter. Most importantly, she loved ME! Me—Jacob Black. My life was finally taking a turn for the better. What a relief. I could stop plotting and scheming, trying my hardest to win her love. She was mine—MINE! Now, I had to make sure that she wouldn't change her mind. I'd do everything in my power to keep her mine. God, I was so happy, I just wanted to run around the house, doing my happy dance and yelling, "She loves me—my Bella loves me." How in the hell was I gonna sleep tonight with my heart racin' like a freakin' freight train? Then I decided who cares? Who needs sleep? I was in love and nothing else mattered.<p>

.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: What's a Quiche?**

Disclaimer: S. Meyer is the rightful owner of these characters.

* * *

><p>The next day dawned; and I got out of bed. And even though the sandman evaded me most of the night, I didn't feel the least bit tired. It seemed a little strange, but then love could do strange things to you, I guess.<p>

I called Bella just to hear her voice, mind you. Also, I needed confirmation that last night really happened—that I didn't just dream it. That would suck.

"Hey, Bells, did you sleep okay. Yeah, me neither. Maybe we could nap together, huh?

"Hey, you know I'm just kiddin', right?

"Yeah, I can come over. What are we doing? Cooking? What the hell's a quiche? Never mind, I guess I'll find out when I get there.

"Four o'clock? Sure, sure. Crap, I hear Charlie callin' you so I'll let you go. I love you too. Bye, Bells."

Jeez, I tried to sound laid back about it, but four o'clock? I'd be dead by then. Luckily, Quil and Embry would be here soon to keep my mind occupied, or at least I hoped so.

* * *

><p>My two favorite pack brothers arrived at 9:30 and followed me out to the Taj—replacing spark plugs, that was the agenda for the day.<p>

Embry opened one of the boxes and pulled out a new spark plug, placing it in my outstretched hand. He was chattering the whole time. "Yeah, Crystal's mad at Quil again."

"Hey, it's not my fault she fell out of the boat," Quil complained. "I was looking the other way when it happened. I was busy checking out the clouds. I didn't want us to get caught in the rain."

"You could have been a little more specific. Get this, Jake, he was teaching her how to row the boat—"

"I explained that to you, man. I told her to lean _into_ it—not _over_ it."

They roared like a couple of hyenas. I had other things on my mind, so I just nodded and said, "Uh-huh."

I was bent over the engine practically hypnotized by the object in my hand; I stared at it blankly.

Those two guys kept babbling back and forth, and I kept "uh-huhing" in the right spots, I thought.

Quil finally remarked, "Then I took my leg off and laid it on the couch. Embry had to superglue it back on, huh, Embry?"

"Yeah, and it was tough with Quil standing on one leg."

"Uh-huh."

Embry ducked down under the hood of the Rabbit, his face close to mine. "Damn, Jake—hello, is anybody in there? Some alien suck your brain out during the night?"

"Uh-huh."

He took the spark plug out of my hand, while Quil gave my shoulder a sharp punch.

"Wake up, man; you're miles away."

I blinked at Embry, dumbfounded. "What?"

"Have you heard a thing we said? What's wrong with you today? It's like you're floating around in the clouds."

I finally got back in gear, ambled over and sat down sideways in the front seat of the car. Stretching my legs out, I leaned forward, rubbing my face with my hands.

"Oh, sorry . . . I guess I am a little out of it, guys," I agreed sheepishly.

"A Little?" Embry sat down on the cement floor, and looked up at me expectantly. "So, you gonna share with your buddies, or do we havta beat it out of you?"

Quil pulled up a wooden crate ready to listen.

Sighing heavily, I blurted, "Okay, I give. You guys asked for it—so here it is—I'm in love."

A bubble of air escaped Embry's lips. "Damn, it's Bella again, isn't it?"

"You guys don't know the half of it.

"Remember I told you how mad at me she was? Well, Leah's advice worked. She came over here last night and apologized—in a big way. And then she asked me to forgive her. But here's the thing . . . She left Edward. She actually _left_ him—can you believe it? Now she says she wants to be my girl. I've been waiting over three years and Bella finally admitted that she loves me. How 'bout that?"

My two pals turned to each other, looking like stunned idiots.

"Thanks, guys, for your vote of confidence. Jeez, my two best friends, doubting my good fortune."

Embry squirmed, repositioning himself on the floor. "It's not that. It's just . . . after all this time, we figured it would never happen."

Quil laughed. "She better treat you right from now on, or we'll sic—Paul on her."

We all laughed at that crack.

I covered my forehead with my hand and shook my head. "I don't think I want him anywhere close to Bella. Paul has too big an appetite—he nearly ate her once already."

"Hey, "Embry interrupted, "Are we gonna change the spark plugs or not?"

Getting out of the car, I walked to the open hood. "Okay, let's get to it then."

Quil jerked his head in the direction of the splintered mess left on the floor from last night. "One question first—what the hell happened to that chair over there?"

One of my eyebrows shot up involuntarily. "Uh, let's just say, it was not exactly sturdy enough to be called a love seat . . ."

I leaned over the engine again. Embry smirked knowingly as he picked up the spark plug from where he left it, and handed it back to me.

My love-induced fog disappeared momentarily. "So, Quil, do you think Crystal will ever forgive you?"

* * *

><p>I left the house a little earlier than I needed to. Could you blame me? I was in a hurry to see my sweetie. We were gonna make quiche together. I wondered if that was French for kiss. Either way, I'd have my kiss and eat it too.<p>

I pulled into her driveway, and got off my bike. I was in such a hurry that the damn thing nearly fell on top of me. I guess the stand wasn't too stable in the gravel. I walked it close to a tree and leaned it against the trunk. Then I ran to the front of her house, bounded up the stairs and knocked at the door. She opened it in an instant and dragged me inside. It was a good feeling knowing that she actually wanted me there—a really good feeling. We kept looking at each other, our grins threatening to split our faces in half.

We walked into the kitchen. I had my arms around the back of her waist. I unleashed my tongue; my lips close to her cute little ear. "Okay, Bells, what the hell is a quiche?"

"I'm going to show you right now. Could you get the eggs out of the fridge for me? And I'll get the bowl. Jake . . . you need to let go. I can't reach the cabinet with you hanging onto me like this."

Before she could stretch up on her toes, I lifted her up so she could take the bowl out of the cabinet with ease. I had to laugh at her girly squeal.

I set her back down on her feet, so she could put the bowl on the counter.

"That'll be enough of that_, Atlas,_" she chastised.

I winked at her wickedly and teased, "Hey, good one Bells. I _was_ holding my whole world in my arms."

"Just go get the eggs and start scrambling—four of them. I've got to get started here."

_Jeez, you've already got me started_, I thought.

I got out the eggs, cracked them into the bowl and began to scramble them. I'd only been at it for a few minutes when Bella's hand reached out and halted my progress. "Jake," she laughed, "I said scramble them, not beat them to death. That's good."

She already had some mushrooms frying in a pan, and some crumbled bacon in a smaller bowl. She took the eggs from me and added some cream and flour to it. Then, the mushrooms and bacon were scraped into a pie crust.

"Here, you can grate up the cheese." She smiled as the bits of yellow shreds piled up in a heap. The cheese went into the crust and Bella topped it off with the liquid. The pan went into the oven as Bella exclaimed, "And that, Mr. Black, is a quiche a la Bella."

I grabbed her shoulders quickly so that she couldn't escape and fused my lips to hers. When we parted, I taunted, "And that Ms. Swan is a kiss a la Jacob." I started to say more when I sensed that sickly sweet aroma that I detested. Ugh, Edward!

I stiffened slightly and Bella noticed. "What's the matter?" she asked as I drew back from her.

I muttered, "Nothing I can't handle." I walked away, heading for the living room. Bella stared after me, speechless. She took off her pot holders, ready to follow, but I beat her to the front door.

I opened it before he even knocked.

Mr. Sparkles was on her doorstep glaring at me menacingly—like he could take me. Phfft! Hell—I'd have his detached head rolling on the ground like a lost bowling ball before he could lay a finger on my fine fur.

"What are you doing here, mutt?" he said. No love lost there.

I could be just as rude—twice as crude too, but with Bella in hearing distance I stuck with plain ol' rude. "I could ask you the same thing, leech."

His sugary voice responded with, "It should appear obvious to you that I didn't come here to see you . . . so if you don't mind."

I blocked the entrance, my arms extended on either side, my hands resting on the doorjambs. I peered straight into his glowering gold eyes; I could be classified as pretty menacing myself. I flexed my biceps for added emphasis. "Not so fast, bloodsucker. I do mind—in fact I mind a lot actually—so buzz off. You're not welcome here anymore."

"I'm not leaving until I've made good on my original intention. And that would be to speak to my Bella."

A smile began curling at the corners of my lips. "_Your_ Bella? Hate to break it to ya' pal, but possession is nine tenths of the law, so I would say she is now _my_ Bella."

His mouth twisted itself into an ugly sneer. "I wouldn't make any bets on that particular—and I might add arrogant—premise, dog."

Bella's voice rang out from the kitchen, and soon it shifted to a little ways behind me. "Jake, who's that you're talk—" Her face registered surprise, then exasperation.

She crossed her arms across her chest. "What are you doing here Edward?"

"A very good question. I asked him that very thing not a minute ago. Anyway, he was just leaving. Weren't you, Eddie?" I added between clenched teeth.

He leaned forward. "Over my dead body."

"I can arrange that. It would be my pleasure."

"Would you care to step outside?" he snarled.

"I'd love to, but there's a quiche in the oven, and I promised Bells I'd be eating it with her. Too bad you can't enjoy it with us. But you don't eat, do you? What a shame. You're missing out on just one of the best things in life, if you get my drift."

That tore it. He was in my face instantly. His sweet breath nearly made me puke.

"Are you insinuating that you've had her in your bed?"

"I'm not insinuating anything. And even if I had, it's none of your business anyway, pale face. So lay off.

"If Bella wants to jump my bones, you know I'm gonna let her. The poor girl's dying of frustration, and I'm more than willing—and able to fix that little problem."

Bella screamed as Edward charged at me. I met his challenge, phasing on the fly. Sailing out the door we grappled with each other as we both tumbled helter skelter onto her front lawn.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Clash of the Titans**

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight. **Okay, NikkiB, this one's for you. **

* * *

><p>Damn, he was fast, but there was no way he was gonna sink his choppers into me. I twisted away from his freakin' fangs, sinking my own teeth into his arm and dragging him down the gravel drive. He rolled away from me tearing his stony flesh from my grasp, and gaining his footing again, flung me against a tree. My head hit the trunk, shaking needles from the branches. The frightened birds went scurrying. It was pure luck that the spruce wasn't upended. I rebounded pinning him to the ground. I should have torn his head off right then and there, but Bella would never have forgiven me. That, and I would have had all the Cullens on my tail for the rest of my life. We moved our immortal combat rapidly to the backyard, away from any innocent bystanders.<p>

* * *

><p>The speed of the tumbling grapplers was only surpassed by the tumult that permeated the afternoon air. The white streaks of lightning mixed with the flying russet of wolf fur whirled by at a dizzying pace like a tornado. The chaos that was the two battling Romeos thankfully touched down behind the house, where the neighbors couldn't see who or what the commotion was about. Bella was beside herself, shrieking in horror.<p>

"Stop, please stop!" Her voice was struggling to rise above the din as she risked stepping near the storm of claws and teeth, stone and pelt.

* * *

><p>I couldn't believe my eyes. Bella was ambling toward us. Didn't she realize how dangerous this situation was? I stopped the fight cold. I didn't want Bella to get hurt unintentionally. Edward took that as his opportunity to get in a strike, the filthy leech. His fist shot out and connected with my collar bone. I heard the crack and felt the searing pain as the bone came piercing through my skin. Letting out a bloodcurdling howl, I phased immediately and snapped my shoulder backward, making the bone pull back into position. The blood was spilling down my chest.<p>

Edward removed his shirt and threw it to me to cover myself. Bella was at my side in an instant. She turned to face Edward. "I don't want to see you anymore, Edward. Do you understand me? I need you to leave—now!"

"You're just upset, you can't really mean that," he muttered. One final glance in her direction and he got the message. He turned abruptly and walked toward the parked Volvo.

Bella's lips began to tremble. "Oh, my god, Jake, you're bleeding," she gasped.

I didn't want to scare her, plus I knew how well she reacted to the smell of blood. "It's not too bad, I've had a lot worse." It still hurt like hell, but I wasn't gonna tell _her_ that. "Can you please get me a towel?"

She nodded, and stood up. "Don't move, Jake. I'll be right back."

I watched as she ran around to the front of the house.

Where could I go? I was lying on the ground naked, with a still sore bruise on my butt. There was a shirt smelling like stinkin' vamp stench covering my crotch, my head throbbed from my brush with that tree trunk, and blood was trickling out of a hole in my chest. The cooking lesson was definitely over, but then I realized that Eddie had learned a lesson too—on how to cook his own goose. Yeah, on the bright side, I didn't think Bella would be thinking happy thoughts about Edward anytime soon, ha!

Bella returned a few minutes later with a towel and a pair of her dad's sweatpants. She knelt beside me and placed the towel on my seeping wound, applying pressure to stanch the flow of blood. Then she helped me stick my feet into the pant legs, getting them as far as my thighs. While she turned her head, I hurled the reeking shirt into the bushes, and pulled the pants up the rest of the way with my good arm.

Reaching out to me, she asked, "Do you think you can stand?"

"Yeah, I think so." I took her hand and attempted to get up off the ground. I landed back down again with a loud thud. "Hoooooh! . . . Oh, God, that hurts," I yelled. "Dammit! That freakin' leech . . . Okay . . ." Taking a deep breath, I gritted my teeth. "Let's try that again. Huuuhh, huuuuuhh!" I panted.

This time, I made it to a standing position. I held my bad arm at the elbow so it wouldn't pull the collarbone out of place again. Hopefully, it would be starting to heal already.

* * *

><p>Sliding her arm around my waist, she led me slowly, and we entered the house. I sat down on her couch, trying to jar myself as little as possible.<p>

"Uh, Bells, do you think you could get me a scarf or a belt—something to hold my arm across my chest. I don't want this collarbone to slide out of place again."

Her mouth dropped open. "What do you mean again?"

Drawing aside the towel, I pointed at the shrinking hole. Bella inched closer. "The bone was sticking out right there."

She moved her head back quickly. "Ugh! I think I'm going to be sick."

I leaned forward, making eye contact. "Not 'til you bring me a belt."

* * *

><p>Bella was next to me on the couch. She got up on her knees and had the belt around my neck, adjusting it.<p>

"Careful . . . careful," I winced.

She finished buckling the belt and as an afterthought, she ran her hand down the back of my head. Her fingers came away with blood on them.

Looking at her hand in dismay, she blurted out, "Oh my gosh, your head's bleeding too."

I wiped the hair at my head. Yep, I was caught red-handed, confirming her observation. "Crap—you're right—must've been when he slammed me up against that tree."

She shook her head in unbelief. "How can you be so calm about it? Jake . . . He could have killed you."

I just shrugged my shoulders. I thought about my reaction too late. "Ow—Oh man, _that_ was stupid."

Bella sighed. "I'm going to get some soap and a basin of water. You look like something out of a horror movie."

* * *

><p>Placing the pan of water on the coffee table, she began dabbing at the wound, washing away all the remaining traces of blood. The red trickle had already stopped. A small scar and some bruising were the only telltale signs of the injury.<p>

Her hand gently touched the back of my neck, as she spoke. "Can you bend your head down a little? I want to get all the blood out of your hair."

I poked my forehead with the index finger of my good hand, and chuckled. "Good thing I've got a thick skull, huh?"

"That's not funny, Jake.

"Everything's a joke to you. What would Billy have done if his son came home an invalid?"

I felt myself getting on the defensive. I reared my head back, nearly knocking the wet rag out of her hand. "Well what did you want me to do—stand there and let Mr. Sparkles harass you?"

Bella dropped the rag into the basin. "I just . . . I don't know . . ."

Her eyes flashed suddenly. "I don't get it. Why can't men back down from a challenge? Why is it so freakin' important? Tell me why. Why?"

Bella straightened up, her lips in a tight line, waiting for my reaction.

I lifted my head carefully, and met the fire in her eyes. "You're a girl—you wouldn't understand. It would be a blow to my ego; that's why. I'd like to be able to hold my head up high."

"Well, right now, you can't even do that!"

Just then, the alarm went off in the kitchen.

_Whew, saved by the bell, literally_. Bella helped me up off the couch_._

Her voice softened. "C'mon, our quiche is calling."

* * *

><p>She took the quiche out of the oven, and boy did it smell good. I had all I could do to keep the drool from running down my chin. I sat down at the kitchen table while she set it on a rack to cool down enough to eat. She turned and sat down next to me, shaking her head.<p>

We sat at the table quietly for a while, waiting for the food to be the right temperature. Bella kept looking at me; I kept looking at her. Finally a smile crept over her face. "You're such a bad boy. What am I going to do with you?"

I tried to hold back a grin, but I couldn't help it. She left herself wide open. "I can think of a million things, and a lot of them have to do with skin contact."

All at once she stood up. I quickly added, "I'm sorry—I'm sorry. Just kidding Bells."

"Ugh! I know I should be used to it by now," she sighed, "but you still make me crazy sometimes." She got up from the table, and reaching into the cabinets for plates, cups and utensils, placed them down in front of our chairs. The cups got filled with lemonade, and then, she placed the pitcher in the middle of the table. Slicing a big piece of the quiche for me, and a smaller one for herself, she instructed, "Okay, dig in!"

My attempts to dig in didn't meet with much success. I had a hard time getting the food to my salivating mouth. Damn that bloodsucker—he did that on purpose. He knew I was right handed. The stupid quiche kept falling off my fork before I could get it to my lips.

Bella sensed my frustration, and moved her chair closer. "Poor baby," she said as she clicked her tongue. "Here let me help you."

She took my fork away, and stabbing the first piece fed it to me. Our eyes never lost contact as she placed each piece on my tongue. It was fascinating watching the way her facial expressions changed as she nudged every morsel into my mouth. Her pink lips would form a perfect "O" prodding me to open up.

The quiche was making my taste buds explode with freakin' joy. And Bells feeding me was making the meal doubly enjoyable. I had to make this woman mine! This was food for the gods. Hell, what was I saying? She could probably feed me dirt, and I'd be on my knees begging her for more. Who would believe that this simple act could be so damn sexy. Phew!

Darn, my plate was empty; not a crumb remained. Bella pushed her chair back and took the plates and forks to the sink. I finished the lemonade; I could handle that at least.

Bella glanced at the clock. "Holy cow, Charlie will be here soon. I need to get you home."

I really didn't want to leave yet. "What's the hurry? Why can't I stay a little longer?"

"Do I have to answer that? Just look at yourself. How am I supposed to explain why you're sitting here half naked with a belt holding your arm to your chest? Now let's go."

"Okay, but you gotta promise me that we'll have another cooking lesson soon. Both my arms should be in working order by tomorrow." I wiggled my eyebrows. "Got any more eggs—I'm hell at beating eggs."

Bella's eyes rolled up toward heaven. All right, _Emeril,_ give me the keys to the Rabbit.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Parting

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight.

* * *

><p>"I can't give you my keys."<p>

"Afraid I'll wreck your precious Rabbit?" She stretched out her hand again. "Now give me those keys."

"I rode my bike over here. Didn't you hear me thundering up the driveway?"

A loud sigh escaped her lips. "Oh crap, I guess I better put that bike in the back then. That's all I need is for someone to steal it. Can you get my truck keys while I do that?"

"Jeez, Bells, I'm not totally helpless. My other hand works just fine."

* * *

><p>I stood in the doorway with her keys in my hand waiting for her to return from the back yard. When she sidled up to me, she had that reeking shirt draped over her arm. She helped me step up into the cab and tossed the shirt onto the seat. I reached over, grabbed the stinkin' thing and hurled it into the bed of the truck—thunk, two points. I figured the fresh air would do it some good—a lot of good, actually. Then, satisfied that the puke inducing stench wouldn't assault my nostrils, I smiled and climbed in the rest of the way.<p>

It seemed weird having Bella drive me home, but even I had to admit there was no way I could've controlled that bike one-handed. I agreed with Bella too, about hoping no one would steal it. Being at the police chief's home, it should've been safe, but you never know.

Bella was awfully quiet, so I had to break the ice. "So, Bells, ya gonna tuck me in bed, when we get to the house? It's kinda hard to pull up the covers when only one arm is working."

She snaked her head sideways, still keeping one eye on the road. "Do you ever stop?"

"Only for red lights," I snickered. Hey, she walked right into that one.

Her hands tightened on the steering wheel, turning her knuckles white "Ugh! Remind me again, why you're my best friend."

"You know you love it," I teased. "Who else could keep you in stitches, the way I do?"

She lowered her voice, so that it sounded pretty grim. "This coming from the boy who nearly _needed_ stitches, this afternoon."

"Hey, almost and nearly don't count. I'll be fine by morning." I raised two fingers in front of my face. "Scout's honor."

Bella parked the truck in my driveway, and turned to me. The sun had sunk below the horizon; an inky blanket was starting to overtake the sky. The glow from the street light glinted off her dark eyes, making them shine like gemstones. She took my left hand in hers, and stroking it softly, murmured, "Please, Jake . . . make me a promise that you won't _nearly_ need stitches in the coming weeks. I can't take it. I was so scared this afternoon, not for myself—but for you. You can't go antagonizing Edward like that. You were lucky that something more serious hadn't happened."

If she only realized . . . this afternoon's fight was just an exhibition match. Anyway, I had him; he was mine. If Bella hadn't been around, and that leech wasn't her ex-leech, I could've easily yanked his bronze head off like a cork from a bottle.

I casually stated, "Phht! I can handle one measly bloodsucker. You don't need to worry about me, honey."

"But I do worry. Don't you understand that? Just promise me, Jake . . . please."

I could sense how freaked out she was over this, so I finally caved. "Okay, I promise. But I'm gonna defend myself if that freakin' bloodsucking tick comes at me unprovoked. He's not about to suck the life outta dis wolf!" _And dat's da name of dat tune._

Satisfied that she made her point, Bella released my hand and opened the cab door. She walked around to the other side and helped me down.

It was amazing how unbalanced a person became, when one arm's partner was being held captive by a police chief's belt. It was a good thing that Bella had her feet firmly planted or we would both be lying on the ground with her underneath me. Come to think of it, that wasn't such a bad idea. Too late—my window of opportunity was already shut tight, crap!

* * *

><p>We walked into the house, and Billy gave me the once over. He greeted us with, "Get into another fight with Bella, there, Son?" His eyes crinkled with laughter, as he teased us.<p>

I answered, joking, "Actually, I was so irresistible that she couldn't keep her hands off me. I was ruthlessly attacked. It was all I could do to defend myself. The girls got serious moves. She's deadly."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Oh, ha, ha! The truth is, he and Edward had a little run in."

"Don't tell him that. I wanted him to feel sorry for me." I pushed out my bottom lip in a pout.

Billy looked up at us from his chair. He fisted his hands and circled them in the air like a boxer. "Well, I hope you got in a couple of good licks." One of his fists shot out in a mock punch, as he grimaced in fighter fashion.

"I don't know about licks, but I bit a couple of chumks off of him. Didn't swallow though—so gross! Tough, too. Maybe if I had me some meat tenderizer or barbeque sauce . . ."

Looking a shade of green, Bella grumbled, "Can we please change the subject? I still have to go home and finish making Charlie's dinner."

Was she gonna run off already? Damn, I hardly got to be with her today. I think my pout got a whole lot poutier—was that even a word? "Jeez, Bells can't you stay a few minutes? Charlie will understand."

I grabbed her hand and towed her over to the couch. Billy backed out of our way, and started into the kitchen. He looked back over his shoulder. "Behave yourself, Jacob. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"That doesn't leave much, Dad."

"Kid's got me pegged," he snickered, as he rolled away.

I turned my attention to the brown eyed angel sitting beside me. "It's not gonna kill you to stay with me a while, is it?"

"No, but . . ."

"No buts about it. I'm mortally wounded here. I could use a little TLC." I tried to sound as pitiful as possible. Anything to get her to stay.

"Oh, yeah? What about 'I'll be fine by morning?"

I swallowed, then said, "I lied. I didn't want to scare you."

It was just a white lie. I was probably healed already, but did she really need to know that? Absolutely, anh, anh . . .

"Oh, Jake," she moaned. "You really are hurt that badly?"

I inched my face nearer to her, my eyes trained on those chocolate stars peering up at me. "I'm feeling a little better. So, do you think you could kinda snuggle up a little closer, and put your arms around me? I need to feel your touch, honey. I'm all in pieces. Make me whole again"

"Jake," she cooed. Then her voice raised a couple of decibels, and those chocolate stars became black holes. "You are sooo _full_ of it. And to think—I almost fell for your little act. You know, I saw that movie the other night too, only the lines were delivered so much more convincingly."

She was onto my game, damn! Okay, change tactics. "Ya got me Bells. Yeah, I'll be fine by morning. But tell me something . . . when did you lose your sense of humor?"

Her face went pale. She was dead serious." The moment you were writhing on the ground, howling in pain, with a bone sticking out of your chest."

That stopped the wagging of my tongue. I couldn't argue with that logic. I kept my big mouth shut for a few minutes.

Bella squirmed next to me. "I'm sorry, Jake. I really do have to go."

"Wait . . . you forgive me for my bad acting though, right? I just wanted you to stay a little longer, that's all. We didn't get to spend too much time together today. Jeez, something inside of me dies every time you leave me. And that's the truth—I didn't borrow that line from any movie either."

I still held her gaze as she lamented, "I know, but I promise I'll come see you tomorrow, okay? Now do you want a goodnight kiss?"

Was she serious? What kind of a stupid question was that? I was crazy in love with her and she knew it! I didn't answer, I just leaned into her, and stroking the side of her face waited for the touch of her lips to sweep over mine. We deepened the kiss, and when it finished, I cupped the back of her head with my good hand. She attempted to draw herself away, but I held on, determined to get one last taste of her before she left.

* * *

><p>That night was the pits—and not because of my injuries either. The pain was gone; I felt fit as a fiddle. It was my brain. All these nagging thoughts kept swirling around, taunting me. I tossed and I turned. Then for a change, I turned and I tossed. Neither of which was easy considering my postage-stamp-size of a bed.<p>

Stupid questions kept entering my mind. "Would Bella stick it out with me? Would she continue to love me? What if Edward convinced her that he was sorry for being such a jerk? Would she forgive him, and leave me? Brokenhearted wouldn't even describe the way I would feel. I would lose a part of myself, maybe not all, but only the part that matters the most. I'd be worse than dead; alive, but not really living.

I gave up trying to sleep. What was the use? I ripped the belt off my arm, and went through my dresser. I tied a pair of shorts to my ankle, and gripping the belt in my mouth, sailed out the window. I phased as I hit the ground, and ran toward Forks, and the girl that held my heart in her hands.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: A Leap in the Dark **

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight

**This chapter is dedicated to my faithful reviewer and banner creator, Peyton Marie James. This one's for you, kid.**

* * *

><p>I didn't worry about keeping to the trees. Luckily, there was no moon that night. Who—except for those crazy enough to be out here so late—would notice the blur of russet fur streaking by? I launched myself ever faster to Bella, and made it outside her bedroom window in 10 minutes flat. Would she be upset with me for harassing her like this? Too late to stop now—my mind was made up. I had to see her, and I couldn't relax until I did.<p>

Sometimes I amazed myself. Here I was, totally exhausted. I had run all the way from La Push and I didn't even know what the hell I was gonna say to her. Could anything be any more idiotic? _Smooth, Jake— real smooth_.

I peered up at her window. Damn, the stupid thing was closed. Then a sickening thought wormed its way into my brain. Was Sparky in her room right now, filling her head with his sugar coated lies?

_Jeez, there I go again. Why do I always do this to myself?_ I was a nice guy, wasn't I? Sort of beautiful too; at least that's what she once told me. And hot—phew! I was hotter than an Arizona sidewalk in the middle of August. Then why did Edward freakin' Cullen intimidate me like he did?

Whoa, wait a minute, was that his nasty odor that was wafting my way? Nah, it was my imagination playing tricks on me. It was just leftover stench from our close encounter of this afternoon, wasn't it? It seemed a little too strong though.

Just about then, the window flew open, and white lightening spewed out of the casement racing into the night. My hackles rose as I sensed the presence of that miserable leech. Should I follow him or check on Bella? Right, Bella was more important.

Man, I'd love to finish the job I started today, but I didn't want to put myself on even footing with that giant louse. I needed to phase back, and Sparky's presence made it difficult. I would begin to transform back and then vibrate again. Damn, him. Why did he have to be here?

It took me another good ten minutes—ten solid minutes I could be spending with my girl—to finally hold it together. Thank you, Edward! #%##**

When I decided I wouldn't be going wolf again, I pulled on my shorts. Bending over, I searched the ground for something to tap on her window with. I picked up a handful of pine twigs and chucked one of them at the window. It made a scraping noise, but didn't get me the response I wanted. The second one sailed through the air—bulls eye. Still no response. Crap, was she in the bathroom or what? The third missile reached its target, and yet, Bella hadn't made it to the window sill. I wondered if Romeo had this much trouble.

This was getting ridiculous. I buckled Charlie's belt around my waist and climbed up the tree outside her bedroom. I peeked in. Geesh, the things we guys have to go through . . .

What the . . .? Was she asleep? Edward was in her room while she was sleeping? That was so creepy—but then, vampires in general _were_ pretty creepy; and believe me, he was definitely no exception. Made _my_ skin crawl—ugh!

She looked absolutely beautiful, making my heart stop in my chest. I was so taken with the vision of my angel that I nearly lost my hold on the branch I was clinging to. Her hair was strewn about, with all those soft mahogany waves lying across her pillow. One long gorgeous leg was tantalizingly visible, uncovered by the sheet, and her pink lips were parted innocently. I licked my own lips at the sight of them. Maybe I couldn't blame Eddie after all.

I shook my head to clear it. _C'mon, Jake, you need to focus_. I didn't come here just to stare at her all night, although I couldn't think of a better way to spend an evening. But hanging from a tree branch, not so much . . .

"Bells, can you hear me?" I tried to keep the sound low so as not to wake up the chief, but jeez, I hoped _she_ at least would hear my voice. I said it again, this time a little louder. Oh, hell, she turned over, away from me.

"I need to talk to you, honey. Please . . . can you open your eyes for me?"

Bella began to stir. She turned over again, the sheets getting tangled as she did so. All at once, her dark eyelashes fluttered and my favorite brand of chocolate circles blinked at me, then popped open in surprise. Her head jerked, and the covers immediately went flying to the foot of the bed. Her bare feet trotted to the window, and she leaned out the sill.

"What in the world are you doing in that tree? Are you crazy? You're going to kill yourself."

"I'll get to that. But first, you need to get out of the way, and you better hurry. This branch isn't going to hold me up here forever, and I don't relish another bruised butt cheek."

Bella moved aside, and I catapulted myself through the window and into her room. Unfortunately, I overestimated how much force I needed and so landed on her bed.

I was unbuckling the belt when Bella stopped by the edge of the mattress. "What is this? Did you think you could come here and get lucky all of a sudden?"

It dawned on me that this situation might actually look a bit compromising. There I was sitting on her bed . . . unbuckling . . . my belt. Oops.

Bella placed her hands on her hips. She was a little riled, I guess. "You can just forget it, Jake. What are you doing here anyway?"

_Think, Jake, think! _I . . . uh . . . came to return Charlie's belt." I handed the strip of leather to her.

Her eyes narrowed in disbelief, as she gazed at the belt in her hand. "A-two-o'clock-in-the-morning_. _You can do better than that—and you better if you know what's good for you."

_Okay, Jake, come clean_. I ran my hand through my hair—nerves, I guess. "You've made a crazy person out of me, Bells."

She nodded her head in agreement. "I can see that." She placed the belt on her rocking chair.

I could sense that she was holding back a smile, because her mouth kept twitching.

"Oh, hell, I . . . I couldn't sleep. I couldn't even relax. My heart kept thumping around in my chest like a stampeding elephant. I had to see you. I'm still . . . I don't know . . . I . . . I guess I'm scared to death that you'll go back to Edward and leave me again."

Bella cocked her head to one side, listening intently to what I was saying.

"I don't know what's worse, making myself crazy competing with Edward for your love, or making myself even more crazy worrying that now I'll lose you. Either way, that still makes me crazy. Maybe I should be locked up. I feel all this tension inside of me like I'm a wound up spring ready to pop. Maybe if I look hard enough I could find a drug out there that can cure me."

Lifting my head, I spied those melted chocolate pools gazing straight into my heart, giving me the strength to go on.

"But then when I'm with you, holding you in my arms, I want to stay crazy. I want to dump the freakin' cure down the toilet." Burying my face in my hands, I apologized for my insanity. "God, I'm sorry. I'm such a mess right now. And yet, here I am babbling away, keeping you awake in the middle of the night.

"Sometimes I wish that I had never met you, but jeez, look what I would've missed? I'd never have experienced this intense feeling. I don't know if I would ever find someone who knows me and loves me like you do. If you left me now, I wouldn't be able to take it, not after what's happened between us. You wouldn't do that to me, would you?

A single crystal drop slid down my cheek. Damn, there they were; the tears I was trying to keep inside. Somehow, someway, they managed to sneak out of my tear ducts. It was useless to hold them back any longer. I hoped she wouldn't think less of me for being such a crybaby.

If Bella noticed, she didn't let on. Instead, she sat beside me and held my hand. "You know what a bad liar I am. I told you that I loved you, didn't I? Why can't you believe that? It was and is the truth. I could never go back to Edward. I've been soul searching and now I'm seeing things more clearly. I'm so happy when I'm with you—maybe not at two AM though." She smiled at me. "Nothing can stop me from loving you, especially not a possessive vampire."

My jaw clenched at her last words. The vision of him standing in her room spying on her while she slept played in my head.

Bella reached out and placed her hand on my cheek. "What is it?" she asked.

I let go of the air I'd been holding, and rubbed a finger over my chin. Should I tell her? Hell, yeah. "Before I came into your room, I saw Edward leaving. Did you know he was here?"

She stiffened. "Are you saying he was here, in my room?" Her pink lips formed a perfect 'O'.

I nodded. "Yeah, and when I showed up, he flew out the window and booked it back to his castle."

Her head shook in amazement. "He was here . . . while I was sleeping? Oh my gosh, that's so—"

"Creepy, yeah, I know!"

Bella stood up, and started pacing back and forth. "He used to stay here at night and watch me sleep, but that was when I invited him. This is like . . . breaking and entering. Come to think of it—it _is_ breaking and entering!"

Bella began rubbing her hands over her arms—goose bumps? Were they freaked out goose bumps or the result of the fact that it actually _was_ pretty cold in her room? She walked over to the window and closed it, shutting out the cool air.

I looked at her rather sheepishly. "Maybe you should get back under the covers. I could get in next to you and be your personal space heater. 108.9 degrees, remember?"

"I think I'll take you up on that; I'm freezing."

She dove under the covers, piling them up around her ears. I gleefully slipped in beside her, my arm winding around her shoulders. I yanked the blankets down slightly and pressed my warm cheek against hers, banishing the cold and letting my heat seep into her skin.

"Ooooh—that feels so good," she moaned.

I stroked her arm gently and left my lip print at her neck. "I can think of something that would feel even better—"

Bella quipped, "Red light!"

She hesitated for a moment. I wondered what she was thinking. "Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm worried about you climbing that tree, and phasing and all that. Why do you take such chances? I seriously thought I was going to faint when I spotted you hanging from that pine bough. Are you sure your collar bone's healed all right. I wouldn't be able to stand seeing you in pain again."

I ginned to myself. _I really think she loves me_. "Hey, it's morning. I told you I'd be fine by morning. And this is making me a whole lot better than fine. I'm totally ace. So quit worrying, will you? I have to admit, though, it's sweet that you worry about me. Now go back to sleep."

Satisfied with my answer, she snuggled up closer to me, as I breathed in her scent—that intoxicating Bella scent. Thankfully the breeze from the open window had cleared out the remaining traces of vamp odor, so that she was all I could smell at that moment. It swirled around my head making me dizzy with joy.

The tension in my muscles was slowly leaving my body. She started whispering something that I didn't catch. Her voice seemed to drift out farther and farther. The last thing I heard was, "Jake . . . are you listening? Jake . . ." Then it faded away softer than a sigh.

* * *

><p>AN: Ahh! Finally, poor Jake gets some needed rest.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Message Received . . . Sort of**

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns these characters.

~oOo ~

Uh-oh, there was some muted sunlight streaming in through the window; it woke me up. I squinted, gazing around at the green walls a little disoriented, and then remembered this was Bella's bedroom. I also remembered happily who that soft, warm, and yes, heavenly creature was cuddled up next to me. I looked at the clock radio on Bella's nightstand. It was six AM—groan. I hated to do it, but I had to leave. If Charlie found me here, I'd resemble a piece of Swiss cheese.

I peered down at the head resting on my bare chest. It was angled up toward my chin so that I could see those perfectly parted pink lips staring up at me. Hoooh, they were shouting to be kissed—but loudly. I couldn't resist the temptation, so I wriggled out from under her. She let out a cute little whimper.

Turning on my side, I drew her to me and slowly ran my tongue over her full bottom lip. Bella stirred slightly in her sleep. I gently pressed my lips to hers. She must have been having quite a dream, 'cuz she responded in an absolute frenzy. I heard her speak my name, mumbling it in her haze. Her hands were in my hair, her tongue was in my mouth and her legs were tangled in mine. The hormones were erupting every which way. My breath was thundering out of me as I hungrily enclosed her lips with mine. She arched into me suddenly and I felt my heart practically beating out of my chest. Damn, this girl was killing me.

Charlie's alarm went off in the other room, and I heard him getting out of bed. Crap, crap, crap! Now I really had to leave. Disentangling Miss Octopus was easier said than done. Man, I hoped she would remember that dream of hers though and tell me about it. It seemed like a doozie; role playing would be an even better idea—at least to me.

Bella whimpered once or twice again, as I finally separated her parts from my parts. Whew, what a job. Taking one last look at her, I leapt out her window.

When I touched down on the back lawn, I ran to the side yard near the utility shed. My bike was leaning there in the shadows, the glossy black paint reflecting the light from the street lamp. I walked the bike a few houses down, and started her up. I rode to La Push, safe in the knowledge that Bella was mine. After parking the bike in the Taj, I crept into the house. Dropping onto my bed, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. My insomnia would be a thing of the past. I was cured, once and for all.

~ oOo ~

_Brr . . . why is it so cold in here?_ She was nice and toasty a few minutes ago. Her arms reached out and touched the sheets beside her. They felt like they had been taken out of the dryer recently. Jacob must have just barely left then. She shifted her body over to his side of the bed, his body heat still permeated the sheets. It felt _sooo_ good, and the scent of musk and fresh forest earth remained behind, still clinging to the linens. She didn't want to get up. Why couldn't she just wallow in the warmth and the aroma that was all Jacob? It was so tempting, but she could hear Charlie bustling about in the bathroom. She better get her butt out of bed and start breakfast for him. So she snuggled into the warm blankets again and took one last whiff—mnn . . . Jacob. Okay, up and at 'em—darn it all.

~ oOo ~

She made up an omelet and put the juice and toast on the table. Charlie came downstairs as the phone in the kitchen rang. He picked it up, and Bella heard him say, "Hello, Edward, you're up early." He stared up at the ceiling. "Yeah, she's right here."

Bella stood there waving her hands in the air and running her thumb across her throat in a stop gesture.

He had that _What's going on look_ on his face as he hurriedly interjected, "but she can't come to the phone right now. Yeah, good idea, call back a little later." He placed the mouthpiece back on its cradle.

Charlie eyed his daughter. "So, I take it that Edward is on the outs." He tried not to sound too happy about it, but he felt like dancing. And he didn't even like dancing all that much. He sat down and took a sip of juice.

Bella sat down across from her father. "I never want to speak to that controlling monster again," she answered, as she stabbed a piece of her omelet.

Smiling inwardly, Charlie's brain screamed, yes, yes, yes! His daughter finally figured out that it was best to love what was good for you. And if Edward knew what was good for him, he'd stay away—permanently. Things were certainly looking up around here.

One question was bothering him though. He wasn't intentionally nosey, yet he had to ask her about it. "You still mad at Jacob?"

She finished swallowing what was in her mouth, put down her fork, and said, "No, we made up. It's too hard to stay mad at him. I know you're not going to believe this, but he and I are actually together now."

Her dad started choking on his food, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "By together—you mean, as in _going_ together . . . That kind of together?"

"Yeah, Dad—that kind of together."

"And no more Edward—you're sure?"

Bella nodded her head and replied, "I'm sure—no more Edward."

They ate quietly for a few minutes. Then the ringing of the phone sliced through the silence in the room. Charlie peered at Bella, gesturing for her to pick it up.

She lifted another mouthful to her lips. "Don't look at me. I am not answering it. Let it ring for all I care."

Charlie was getting annoyed. "I can't eat with that constant noise." He stood, and walking to the wall nearest the fridge, put his hand on the receiver. "What do you want me to tell him?"

"I don't care; how about 'leave me alone'? Or better yet, how about, 'go to hell'?"

Frowning, Charlie shook his head. He picked up the receiver. "Hello, Edward. I'm sorry, Bella's in the shower, can I take a message? Okay, I'll tell her. Bye now."

He turned to Bella. "He says to call him."

"What universe is he living in?" she snorted.

Ignoring her comment, he went back to the table to finish his breakfast.

~ oOo ~

With his jacket on, and gun belt securely in place, Charlie was ready to head out to the cruiser. He laughed as he stepped partway out the door. The ringer was going off again. "He's not going to stop, Bells. You might as well give up and talk to him."

"Forget it. I'll turn the message machine back on."

Charlie shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I'm off to the station. Call if you need me. My gun's loaded."

As she was cleaning up the kitchen the recorder went off. "Bella, if you're there, pick up." A sigh sounded, followed by a click.

The second message went something like this: "Please, Bella . . . we can work this out. Just talk to me."

Hearing his voice was irritating her to no end. It was worse than the ringing. Ugh! Her dad was right; this was going to drive her insane. She turned off the recorder and erased his messages. At the next ring, she ripped the receiver from the wall and coldly spouted, "What do you want, Edward? Did your IQ suddenly drop overnight? What part of, 'I don't want to talk to you', can't you understand?"

His voice sounded frantic. "Please hear me out. First of all, I want to apologize for injuring your friend, Jacob. I can assure you that it would never happen again. You have my word. That was uncalled for and decidedly unsportsmanlike."

"Yes, it was. I accept your apology—bye."

"Bella, no . . . don't hang up yet. What can I do to gain your trust once more?"

Her temper was slowly bubbling up inside her. "Let's start with staying out of my room in the middle of the night while I'm sleeping."

Edward hesitated for a beat. "Jacob told you, didn't he?" he pouted.

"Yeah, he did. And I was not too happy about it either." She hoped he could feel her scowl.

"But it's perfectly fine for that dog to slip into your room?"

"Let me get one thing straight, Edward—Jacob asks my permission before he comes into my bedroom."

"My coming to you at night never bothered you before. Why does it bother you now?"

"Don't you get it? You no longer have my _permission_." She emphasized the last word loudly.

"So, he has your permission to enter your bedroom. Is that _all_ the permission the dog has been granted, or is he sleeping with you too, as he so smugly suggested yesterday?"

She almost laughed. It was undeniable—Jacob did literally sleep in her bed. She tapped her foot impatiently on the tiled floor. "You know, for such an intelligent guy, you just keep digging yourself in deeper and deeper. I can't listen to this for another minute. So, do yourself a favor, and don't call me anymore because I won't be answering. Goodbye, Edward."

What a stubborn vampire. He was testing her new ruling by calling again—several times as a matter of fact. It was a good hour or so before the phone finally lay quiet.

She went about doing the laundry, dusting and vacuuming, and sweeping up the kitchen floor. She was in her room, putting away her newly laundered clothes when a knock sounded on the front door. Now what?

Bella couldn't avoid the confrontation, so she went downstairs and opened the front door. What she witnessed was totally unexpected; she let out a gasp. Alice was standing there on her doorstep. Her lips were downturned sadly. She looked like someone had run over her pet cat.

Her tinkling voice whimpered, "Bella . . ." She took Alice's hand and leading her into the living room, closed the door.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Pixilated**

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight.

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><p>Bella remained standing as Alice slowly sunk onto the couch, misery radiating from her face. "I know why you're here, Alice. You're the ambassador of goodwill."<p>

Alice sadly looked imploringly at Bella. Her shoulders were slumped uncharacteristically, her tiny frame being enveloped by the cushions of the couch. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but Edward said you wouldn't answer his calls and that you've banned him from your home. He's miserable, Bella and he's making all of us miserable too. He begged me to come here. What can he do to make you see reason?"

Bella plunked herself down next to her friend Taking Alice's icy hand in hers, she explained her reasons for the breakup. She realized in exasperation that she was biting her bottom lip before the words began spilling out. "I'm sorry too, Alice. Edward has just been so possessive and domineering lately. I can't live like that. At one time, it felt flattering to have him protecting me, but now it's progressed to the point that I can barely breathe any longer."

She smoothed her hand over Alice's small fingers. "Did you know that Jacob caught him leaving my room last night? Edward was there, staring at me while I was asleep. He had no right to do that. I told him not to come here anymore and he deliberately ignored my request. But that was just the latest—the last straw. He watches my every move; he demands to know where I'm going and who I'm going with. I can't have him dictating who I can and cannot see. That's not a healthy relationship. I realize that now."

The air in the room was filled with tension. Alice hated that her best friend would be a thing of the past. She missed her already. Even though she was harboring an unbeating heart, it was starting to crack apart at the seams. Time was of the essence so she plunged ahead to express what she felt. "It's Jacob, isn't it? I have eyes, I can see. Your future vanished, so it was simple to surmise what happened. He's wormed his way into your heart, and turned you against Edward." She knew that these words were a bit harsh, but it was true nonetheless. Jacob was one of the Cullen's natural enemies so it stood to reason that he would point out all the disadvantages of becoming one of them.

Bella, turned to the little pixie, placing Alice's hand in her lap. She shook her head. "It would only have been a matter of time before I realized how uncomfortably tight Edward's reins were pulling on me. Jacob was only the catalyst that made that realization crystallize sooner.

"Think about it Alice, If Edward and I had rushed into marriage—and I know that's where this was inevitably leading—I would have been miserable. Even Edward would have been miserable, knowing that he was the cause of my unhappiness. That's all he's ever wanted for me—to be happy. And right now, I am happy—but with Jacob. As much as he wishes to fool himself into thinking otherwise, I can't go back to being that naïve little girl again.

Alice sniffled despite the fact that she was not producing any tears. "So you're saying that you've outgrown him?"

"In a way, I guess I have. Edward has had 109 years to shape his personality. He's set in his ways. He can't change the way he is, but I can—and I have—and that's the difference. I've become a woman, with a mind and needs of my own. I've evolved whereas Edward has remained the same."

She took a breath to muster up the courage to offer the next line. "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

"You know you can ask me anything. That's what friends are for."

"Rosalie has made it clear to me that she hates what she's become, and would do anything to change that. What about you? Are you happy with your lifestyle?"

Visibly startled, Alice pursed her lips in an attempt to speak. She never imagined that Bella would ever ask her that question. If she told Bella the truth, she would seal her brother's fate. And yet, she owed it to her in the guise of friendship.

"I guess what you're really asking is, would I have been happier living out my life as a human. I honestly don't know. My life at that time was pretty horrifying. But if I didn't have my adoptive family surrounding me, and if Jasper hadn't entered my life, I would be lost and alone. Even being with the Cullens, I couldn't feel complete without that long, lean Texan at my side." Her lips curled up at the corners at the thought of him, for a moment. "So if those two components were taken away, I would be buying a one way plane ticket to Italy to end it all.

"To put this is in your perspective though, I have to say, I had no family or friends to speak of. Unlike you, I had no one to mourn at their passing; no regrets at leaving people behind. It's different now— you're my friend, Bella. I will dearly miss you. I don't ever want to know when you depart from this earth. It would be too painful. So, I guess you could say that I'm as happy as circumstances allow. Does that answer your question?"

Bella nodded her head, and whispered, "Yes, thank you, Alice."

Alice stood to leave, and Bella released her hand. "You probably already know this, but I'm going to say it anyway. Edward's been beside himself. He's heartbroken. In 109 years, he'd never known the meaning of love, and now that it's being snatched away from him, it will be a painful reminder of what might have been."

Gazing into those golden eyes, so forlorn, Bella expressed her sorrow at causing Edward such emotional pain. "I know, and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry that I ever fueled that hope, only to snuff it out again. Maybe someday he might be able to forgive me. Will you tell him that?"

Rising from the couch, Bella walked with Alice to the door, opening it.

Alice gave her a hug, and pressed her marble cheek to Bella's. "I'll tell him, but you'll still visit won't you?"

"I'll try, but I can't make any promises."

She reached out, placing her hand on Alice's shoulder. "Alice . . . You'll always be my friend. I'll think about all of you every day, and especially Edward. I did really love him you know."

"Goodbye, Bella. Be happy."

"Bye, Alice."

The door closed and Bella raced up the stairs to her bedroom, flopping herself onto the mattress. Why does life have to be so hard? She cried into her pillow, wetting the cotton covering with her tears. It seemed like all she ever did was cry over some hurt she inflicted on those she loved the most. First it was Charlie, then Jacob, and now Edward and Alice. She vowed to avoid hurting others as much as was in her power. She would make Jacob happy; maybe in that way she could at least atone for all the suffering he endured at her hand. He was the one person that she hurt the most, the one person she needed to make amends to.

* * *

><p>I opened my eyes and yawned and stretched. Man, I think that was the best sleep I had in years. It was around 11:15 or so when I finally hauled my butt outta the bed. Billy didn't say a word as I waltzed into the kitchen, scratching my head and still stretching. He was reading the newspaper and handed me the sports section since he had finished with it. I set it down and grabbed a bowl, a spoon and a cup from the cupboard. Pouring myself some cereal and milk into the bowl, I announced, "Guess what, Dad?"<p>

He didn't even acknowledge that I just spoke. Never even lifted his head from the newsprint, for cryin' out loud. "Did you hear what I said?" I sat down across from him.

Billy turned another page and rattled the printed sheets to straighten them out. "I'm listening."

"Well listen to this then . . . Bella and I are in love." I lifted a spoonful of cereal and shoved it in my mouth, chewing while I waited for his reaction.

He continued reading, and commented, "Mnn, hmnn." He took a sip of his herbal tea.

I leaned forward, chomping on another mouthful. "So whaddya think?"

Putting the paper down, he looked up and drily commented. "I think it's about time you two stopped with all this back and forth nonsense. I'm glad you finally quit hurting each other, and hiding your true feelings. That's what I think.

"Phone's ringing."

"Yeah, I've got ears, Dad." I hated when he stated the obvious. He asked me with those wise old eyes of his to pick it up and answer the damn thing.

I left the table and raised the phone to my ear. It was my sweetie. "Jacob . . ." That's all I had to hear. There was a hint in the tone of her voice that told me something was wrong.

"Honey, what's the matter?"

"Nothing . . . I . . . I just wanted to hear your voice."

Conversations like this one made me nervous. I started to pace as I talked to her. "I can tell it's not _nothing,_ so just spit it out already." A better idea occurred to me then. "Never mind—I'm on my way."

We said our goodbyes and I hung up the phone.

Billy had wheeled out of the kitchen, and was now in his bedroom, looking for a carving tool he had misplaced. Yelling from the living room, I gave Billy a message. "Hey, Dad, I'm heading over to Bella's."

I heard his voice answer. "Another love emergency, eh? Always some emergency," He muttered under his breath. "Good thing you've got a lot of patience, son."

I went back to the table, and without sitting on the chair, tipped the bowl up to my mouth and glugged the cereal down, not stopping to chew. Setting the bowl and spoon in the sink, I washed them quickly and put them in the rack. I never did get a chance to drink any OJ, so I returned the clean cup to the cabinet. I washed my face and brushed my teeth in a hurry, then rushing to my room, I threw on some jeans and a tee and ran out to the garage. That's when I noticed I didn't have any shoes on. Crap, I ran back inside grabbed a pair and pitched them onto the floor of the Rabbit.

* * *

><p>The clouds decided to release their load as I got to Bella's doorstep. I had barely rapped on the door when it swung open and she pulled me inside. Man, she was in some big heated rush to greet me, not that I was complaining or anything, but jeez. <em>Save some for tomorrow, Bells.<em> She was all over me—kissing my eyes, my ears, my neck, my arms . . . all the while bulldozing me onto the couch, which by the way had that eau de vampire stinkin' it up pretty good. I put that out of my head right away though—hey, I couldn't help it; I was waaay distracted. But what in the holy hell brought this on? Then I thought, do I really care?Not on your life!

Damn, her head drew back, and suddenly those big brown eyes were scrutinizing me intently. Ooookaaay . . . So, in my usual uncanny way to break the ice, I quipped, "Hey, I think you missed a spot." I pointed to my chin, pretending to frown.

She inched closer, climbing onto the couch. Leaning forward, she brushed her lips over my chin. Then while stroking my hair she actually began to use her words. "Jacob . . ." She was using that same tone of voice. I wished she would just let it out. I was itching to hear whatever it was that she needed to say. Why was it so hard for her to express her feelings all the time? Didn't she know she could tell me anything?

Her heart was pounding, and she swallowed nervously. "Did you believe me when I said I loved you?"

"Sure, sure." What else could I say? Where the hell was this going? Even Einstein couldn't figure out this equation.

"I meant it. You know I really do love you, don't you."

I smirked—yeah, I know, I was being an arrogant jerk. "I think you pretty much proved that a few minutes ago."

The air in the room seemed to be strangely tingling with energy. She placed her hand over my heart, never taking her eyes from mine. "Yeah, but . . . I need you to feel it deep down in your soul. I don't want you to ever doubt that I love you . . . because I do."

I pulled her to me and kissed her 'til she was gasping for breath. Then in all seriousness, I answered. "I know."

* * *

><p>I always thought that the line"I know" was so arrogant coming from Han Solo, but in this case it was what Bella needed to hear.<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Rainman**

S. Meyer owns Twilight.

* * *

><p>"Okay, Bells. You win; no more joking around. I believe you. I always knew somewhere from deep inside of me that you had feelings for me. You just didn't recognize them at the time. Finally hearing you say those words to me make me so happy I could sing.<p>

"You know I had a crush on you since we were kids, but it became the real thing when you came to live in Forks a year and a half ago. I can't explain it, but it's gotten stronger with every passing day. You have no idea how hard it was seeing you with Edward. I was your best friend—still am—but I longed for so much more. I needed to hear you say what you just told me. So, yeah, I feel it 'deep in my soul' now, but I hope you feel my love for you in the same way."

I closed my hand over hers, removing it from my chest and kissed her palm. With my other hand, I touched her face gently, gazing lovingly at her features. "You're so beautiful, Isabella. God, I love you so much it hurts. Sometimes I feel like my heart is so full that it's gonna burst right out of my chest. I'm an absolute goner when I'm with you."

I sighed in contentment. "C'mere," I told her. I rested her head on my shoulder. Closing my eyes, I began running my fingers through her soft hair.

After a few minutes, she raised her head to look at me. Smiling sweetly, she asked, "Wanna help me make some lasagna?"

* * *

><p>I couldn't help but laugh as another slippery noodle escaped my grasp and landed back in the pot it came from. "This is worse than fishing for eels," I exclaimed. Bella got caught up in the laughter with me.<p>

"They're supposed to make it into the baking dish, Jake."

Defeated, I leaned my back against the counter top. "Got a catcher's mitt?" I quipped.

She tried once more to help me. Looking through a cabinet drawer she pulled out a utensil that appeared to be a torture devise from some spooky laboratory. "Here, use this."

Bella handed me some weird looking large spoon with like these bear claws surrounding it. The stupid contraption didn't help a bit; one more noodle slid out the side and met with the rest of his buddies loitering at the bottom of the pot. The great Jacob Black confounded by a slew of noodles—I would have been humiliated if it wasn't so damn ridiculous.

"Maybe you better grate the mozzarella. If those noodles slip into the pot one more time they're going to get all sticky."

"Speaking of sticky, my lips are getting awfully lonesome all by themselves. Why don't you come closer and stick your lips to mine for a couple of minutes."

Wow—she didn't hesitate a second. Our mouths stuck together quite nicely, but not long enough. Bella was anxious to get the lasagna going.

I picked up the cheese grater and went to work. Turns out that not only was I hell at beating eggs, but I was hell at grating cheese too. Iron chefs, look out!

Bella got a layer of noodles lined up like little soldiers in the dish, and ladled some sauce over them. I added the cheese, and we started the assembly line. Sauce, noodles, cheese. sauce, noodles . . .

After a few minutes in the oven, the house took on a tempting aroma. Mmmn, lasagna. It scored second on my list of favorite flavors, the first being those luscious lips that I had acquired an enormous craving for. I think she liked my lips too. Hey, we could start a lip-liking society. It would be very exclusive, only two members—Bella and me.

We were sitting on the couch in the living room watching reruns of Laverne and Shirley. My left arm was draped around her shoulder and I was enjoying the feel of her soft form so close to me. My right hand was twirling a silky strand of her hair around my index finger. I was fascinated watching the gold and red highlights as the threads wrapped around and around. At the same time I was wolfishly inhaling the heavenly scent of baking lasagna when another not so welcome odor greeted me.

Not again. Why can't he leave us alone? I noted the stench was even worse if that was possible. Being combined with the downpour outside, the odor was intensified. Good thing I had a strong stomach or I'd be puking on Charlie's couch.

I couldn't hide this from Bella. She caught my body suddenly stiffen anyway. So keeping my voice low, I uttered, "He's here, Bells. What do you want me to do?"

"Holy crow! Why can't he take a hint? Geesh . . . Just ignore him."

Easy for her to say—she didn't have a wolf attempting to break free. I was on red alert. Beep, beep, beep—vampire in target range. Oh man, it was hard to hold it together.

I guess Bella could feel the vibrations in my body, because she turned and placed her hand over my heart to calm me down. It helped slightly but there were still some tiny tremors in my arms and hands. Exasperated, she got up and walked over to the front window.

* * *

><p>Good grief, there was Edward all right. He was standing in the middle of her yard, dripping wet. The rain was pouring down, running in streams from his bronze hair onto his face, mimicking the tears he would be shedding if he could. He looked absolutely pitiful.<p>

What was he doing? It was freezing out there. Then she remembered it wasn't like he could feel the cold, or catch one either. Darn, persistent vampire. She was sure that he wouldn't dare set foot in the house, but she hadn't thought about him stalking on the outside. So did this mean, he would be staring at her through her windows expecting to get a glimpse of her? That would drive her crazy. Maybe that was his intention—to force her into seeing him and talking to him. Well, he had another thing coming.

He hadn't spotted her yet as she peeked through the curtain. She turned back to the couch and put out her hand to Jacob.

* * *

><p>I took her outstretched hand and she led me over to the window. She drew back the curtains, and said, "Now kiss me."<p>

Her wish was my command. She snaked her arms around my neck as I wound mine about her shoulders. As our lips met, I heard a strangled whimper from outside. I turned my head just in time to see Edward streaking across the lawn to the back yard, disappearing into the trees.

* * *

><p>Charlie came practically dancing through the door. I don't blame him. He probably smelled the food clear out to the driveway.<p>

"Hey kiddo, smells good in here. Jacob, you help fix the food?"

"Yeah, you surprised?"

"Yes, but good job! Are you going stay and help clean up too?"

"Sure, sure, no problem. As long as I get to fill up my tank, it's the least I can do."

* * *

><p>That night, Bella got ready for bed. It was still raining buckets outside. She glanced out the window to check it out and what met her eyes had her stunned. A lone, tall figure was standing, still as a statue in the unmerciful downpour peering up at her, framed as she was in the casement. She had hoped that this afternoon's apparition had been a one time occurrence. It definitely didn't look that way now.<p>

Edward stood there for a second or two and vaporized right in front of her. She wished Jacob could have stayed tonight. It was unnerving having your ex stalking you. She decided then and there to complain to Charlie if it continued, so he could make him stop. Being the police chief's daughter had some advantages after all.

Sleep evaded her most of the night, knowing that he could be out there. She didn't want to, but something drew her to the window every time she woke up. The sight of him, eerie as it was, attracted her like a moth to a flame. And she was rewarded each time. He was steadfast, vigilant in his efforts to catch a glimpse of her every now and then. When she peeked out the window, he would jet away as if he was fooling himself that she hadn't caught sight of him. Or maybe not . . .

This whole situation was nuts. As soon as Charlie came down for breakfast, Bella told him, "Dad, can you come over to the window for a minute? I want you to see something."

Charlie wasn't in the greatest of moods. He hadn't gotten much sleep. He kept hearing Bella getting out of bed during the night. And now he was tired—and hungry, and Bella was delaying his breakfast. What was so important that he had to push away from the table and look out the stupid window?

He got up from his chair begrudgingly and walked toward his daughter. When he reached her, she pulled the curtain aside so he could look out. His eyebrows meshed together into one continuous line as he asked, "What's he doing here? I thought you and he called it quits?"

"We did, but apparently he doesn't like the verdict. Dad, he was out in the yard all night long. He was here yesterday afternoon too. I couldn't sleep last night. Every time I went to the window; there he was staring back at me. Can you do something about it?"

"You're darn right, I can! I'll go talk to Carlisle this morning. I'm sure he's not aware that Edward is making more than a pest of himself. This is against the law. It's trespassing, loitering, voyeurism, and harassment. If Carlisle doesn't put a stop to it, I will. I'll get out a restraining order if I have to. In the meantime, don't go near the windows. I'm going outside right now and speak to that boy."

Charlie put on his jacket and made sure his badge was visible as he stepped out the door. He was only gone a few minutes when he marched back inside the house. "He's gone, Bells. I couldn't find him anywhere on our property. As soon as I finish breakfast, I'll call Trent and let him know I'm on official business at the Cullens."

He had his coat halfway off when he put his arms back in the sleeves. He had that determined, business-like look on his face as he zipped it up again. "You know what? Forget that. I'm going over there right this minute; maybe I should check my gun first and make sure it's loaded." He strapped on his holster after checking the barrel. "I am really pissed. I wouldn't mind putting a couple of bullet holes in that kid. I owe him from the time he left you lying in the forest. Believe me; I would love to shoot him where it counts. Save breakfast for me. I'll be back soon."

Edward didn't stand a chance. Charlie was fiercely protective of his family, and Bella was his _family_. She was all he had, and by damn, no one was going to sneak onto his property and scare the crap out of her. He was not going to stand for it. He was in Chief of police mode as he strode toward his cruiser, and no one had better get in his way!

* * *

><p>AN: Ooh, I think Charlie means business.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: The Long Arm of the Law**

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight.

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><p>Charlie hadn't ever been to the Cullens home before. Home? It was more like a mansion, with its manicured lawns and stately trees lining the driveway. He'd never seen so much glass lining the front entrance of a house either. Who cleaned all their windows, he wondered? Then he imagined how much homeowner's insurance they had to pay, especially for glass breakage. It was probably just a drop in the bucket for these people though. They had money coming out their ears. At the moment that fact didn't seem to be helping Edward any. It was certainly true that money can't buy happiness; he was glaring proof of that. Just this very morning the poor sap was standing in the rain, soaked to the skin, pining over his daughter.<p>

No, he had to get rid of that train of thought. That boy was trespassing on his property and scaring the daylights out of Bella. It was intolerable, and—he had to admit—kind of creepy.

It seemed ironic that a poor boy from the reservation was always smiling and cheerful, and this rich kid was brooding all the time, like a sad white-faced mime. Maybe he needed to be taught a lesson in gratitude.

He parked the cruiser in front of the entrance, and opening the door, stepped out of the vehicle. He pulled himself up to his full height and straightened his uniform. Up the massive concrete steps he climbed, and rang the doorbell. Esme came to the door, smiling. She was such a beautiful gal that Charlie envied Carlisle—not for his money, but for his luck in finding a wonderful woman to be his wife. He almost wished he didn't have to come and ruin her day.

"Chief Swan," she said. Her simple welcome was as melodious as a song, and her smile could light the heavens. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm here to see Carlisle. He hasn't left for the hospital yet, has he?"

"No, no, he's getting dressed. Come in and sit down. He'll be right with you."

She led him into the living room, and seated him on a pale green tufted couch. Charlie couldn't help but notice how gracefully she glided over the ceramic floor. It was almost as if she was floating on air—literally.

Carlisle came down the stairs with Esme at his side. The chief rose from his seat as Carlisle approached him. He greeted Charlie warmly.

"You wanted to speak to me?" He motioned for his guest to sit down.

"Yeah, but I was hoping to include Edward in this conversation. Is he here?"

"I'm afraid not. He and Emmett went running this morning. Is there something wrong?"

"Actually, yes. You know I've never had a problem with any of your children. They've always been well behaved until recently."

Carlisle leaned forward, his brow wrinkled in concern; his golden eyes searching Charlie's for answers. "Are you saying that Edward has not shown proper respect for the law?"

"How can I put this? You know that Edward and Bella were . . . well . . . together. Apparently Bella broke it off, and Edward hasn't dealt with it in a mature manner—to put it politely. Yesterday, last night, and early this morning, he has been standing outside in our yard looking through our windows. I guess he was hoping that Bella would come out and talk to him. I know this to be a fact, because I saw him myself, this morning."

Carlisle's mouth dropped open in surprise. He could hardly believe that Edward would stoop to such tactics. He was appalled, and rightly so. He would certainly talk to Edward. This was not only criminal activity, but it would bring undue attention to their family, and subsequently to their way of life.

Standing abruptly, Carlisle apologized for his son. "Chief Swan, I am so sorry for the emotional distress my son has caused you and Bella. You can rest assured that I will have a lengthy conversation with Edward. This will not happen again. You have my solemn word on that."

"I appreciate it, but I have to warn you that if that doesn't work, I'll have to pursue this to the full extent of the law. And if that means I have to get a restraining order, I will. I can't have my daughter feeling like a prisoner in her own home. I better go now. I have to get home, and you need to get to the hospital for your shift. I hope there are no hard feelings about this."

"I understand, I would do the same to protect my family."

The two men stood and shook hands. Esme saw him to the door.

* * *

><p>On the way out of the driveway, Charlie spotted Emmett and Edward running toward the house. He beeped his horn to get their attention, little knowing that they heard him, and caught his scent from a mile away. They stopped in their tracks as Charlie got out of the cruiser once more.<p>

"Edward, come here, son, I need to talk to you—NOW!"

Out of the corner of his mouth, Emmett sarcastically muttered, "Jeepers, it's the cops. What the hell did you do this time, bro?"

They walked up to Charlie. He glanced away from Edward for a second, his eyes alighting on Emmett.

"Emmett, if you'll excuse us, this doesn't concern you."

Backing away, Emmett saluted his brother, and ran back to the house, knowing full well, that he would be privy to every word spoken.

The sight of Edward got the chief riled up again. He spoke through clenched teeth. "I had a long talk with your father about your little—shall we say—episodes these last two days. Just be thankful that I spoke with him first, because I have to say, I was pretty pissed after I saw you outside our window this morning. It wouldn't have taken much for my gun to go off accidentally if you know what I mean. Now I'm warning you, if I catch you on my property again without Bella's permission, there will be hell to pay. Do I make myself clear?"

Edward looked down at the ground. "Yes, sir. It won't happen again, sir. I promise."

Looking at Edward's slumped shoulders and the sadness in those amber eyes, Charlie began to _feel_ for the kid again. He put his hand out and placed it on his shoulder. "Look, Edward, I know what it's like to lose the one you love. I'm not a complete ogre. I understand how broken your heart feels right now, and I sympathize with you, but stalking Bella is not the answer. If anything, it'll push her away. You need to think about what I'm telling you. I don't want to have to use my authority against you, I don't. But you're fooling yourself if you think I'll turn a blind eye if this ever occurs again, because believe me, I won't.

"Do we have an understanding then?"

The heartbroken boy stood there silently.

Charlie pressed him again, "Do we?"

Nodding his head, Edward, sadly walked away, and into the house. Emmett draped his arm around Edward's shoulder and greeted him with, "Dude, what were you thinking?"

Edward knocked Emmett's arm away from him. "Shut up, Emmett. Just leave me alone; I don't want any company right now."

Emmett glared at him; he didn't get it. What was the attraction besides her tantalizing blood? "She's just a weak little human girl. Get over her, man. She's not worth it!"

The door slammed to Edward's room, shutting Emmett out, and no one saw a bronze hair on his head until Carlisle came home thirteen hours later.

Charlie got back in the cruiser and left for home and a cold breakfast.

* * *

><p>Bella was washing the dishes as Charlie came through the door. "I don't think the Rain Man will be bothering us anymore. He got my message loud and clear. Now, do you think you could do your old man a favor and heat up my food?"<p>

* * *

><p>Three days went by and Bella never saw him outside her window again. Then the next afternoon a letter came for her. It was obvious that the script belonged to Edward. She stubbornly left it on the coffee table with the rest of the mail and went about the remainder of her day. She warred with herself over whether or not to read the dang thing.<p>

She cleaned the house getting ready for Jacob to come over. They were going to watch a *gasp* martial arts DVD tonight. It was his turn to pick the movie. She saw him yawning over _Enchanted April_ two nights ago, so it was only fair to give him his chance to pick out what he would enjoy.

When Charlie came home, the first thing he did after hanging up his jacket and holster was change his clothes, then he sorted through the mail. He rolled his eyes as he noted the envelope with that elegant script. It was a no-brainer to figure out who the letter was from. Out of the corner of his eye he spied Bella, her glance trained on the letter in question.

"Are you going to read this, or shall I throw it out with the rest of the garbage?"

Caught in the act—darn. "I don't know, Dad; I haven't decided yet. What do you think?"

Charlie held out the pesky envelope between his thumb and forefinger as if to hand it to her. "What do I think? I think if you decide not to read this, you'll always wonder what was in it. It'll haunt you for the rest of your life. But, it's up to you; no one else can make that decision for you.

Exasperated, she growled. "Oh, just give it here then! Jacob's coming over tonight and I was in such a good mood. Then this stupid thing had to show up."

She ripped open the letter angrily. The note was blessedly short.

My dearest Bella,

This will be the last communication you will ever get from me. I wanted you to know how deeply I regret my foolish and inappropriate behavior I displayed the last two days that you witnessed my presence outside of your home. That reckless act caused you nothing but mental anguish and perhaps anger as well. I am truly sorry.

I shall always treasure with fondness, the time we had together. I will always love you, and no other as long as I live.

I have left Forks, and have no plans to return. I wish you all the happiness in the world. I know Jacob will love and protect you. May he never forget how fortunate he is to have you in his life.

Love always and forever,

Edward

Bella let out a big sigh of relief. Edward finally had the grace to bow out, and leave her and Jacob in peace. She would never regret her time spent with him, but she was ready to move on. A new chapter had opened up in her life, and she was anxious to see what that had in store for her.

* * *

><p>AN: I wish this website had the capability of displaying fonts. I recently downloaded some Twilight fonts, and Edward's letter is written in that elegant way, just like in the books.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: An uncomfortable Conversation**

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight.

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><p>We were all seated around the table. Bella had made a baked chicken with stuffing, potatoes with sour cream and chives, and green beans with bacon and onions. Blondies were sitting on the counter for dessert.<p>

Charlie's eyes sparkled with glee, and his mustache twitched as he smiled. "So, Jacob, you and Bells are home free now, huh?"

"What?" I gazed at Bella, confused. What the hell was he talking about?

Uh-oh. Charlie looked as if he accidentally spilled the beans about something. I guess he didn't know it was supposed to be a secret, whatever _it_ was. But if it was, why didn't his own daughter tell him to keep his mouth shut?

"Bella didn't tell you?" He watched for Bella's reaction before continuing.

"Tell me what?"

She looked at the napkin in her hand. "It's okay, dad. I just didn't have the chance to talk to him about it."

I actually put the fork down onto my plate. "Talk to me about what?" Jeez, if this was good news, I wanted to hear it.

Charlie swallowed a bite of food, and gesturing with his steak knife, said, "Why don't you just show it to him?"

"Show me what?" I was beginning to sound like a broken record. Not to mention my head was swiveling back and forth between the two of them like I was at a tennis match.

Bella stood up from her chair, heading toward the stairs. "I'll just be a minute."

"I can't believe she didn't tell you." He cut into another piece of chicken, and stabbing it, brought it to his mouth.

I kept my remarks to myself that time, but my brain was still screaming, _Tell me Whaaat?_

I stared at the food on my plate. It had suddenly lost all its appeal. I couldn't eat another mouthful 'til I found out what the hell was going on.

Bella finally came skipping down the stairs. I was on instant alert in case she tripped. Luck was on her side apparently, 'cuz she made it back to her seat safely.

She handed me an envelope. The writing on it was so perfect, it was puke inducing. It could only have been written by that OCD vamp—aka the filthy leech—Cullen.

I really didn't want to read the damn thing, but since Charlie and Bella seemed to have developed a case of constipation of the mouth, I had no choice. The paper inside reeked. I was tempted to hold my nose; out of respect for Charlie, I held my breath instead. Thank god, it was short. The note itself was enough to stop both my breath and my heart though. The freakin' bloodsucker left? He actually and permanently left? Man, this was a day of celebration. I put the letter down and dug into my food—with gusto.

Charlie laughed at my take on the whole matter. "I'm willing to bet that this is your lucky day, eh, kid?"

"Luck's got nothing to do with it, Charlie. I worked my nu— butt off to win your daughter, like Jacob of old. I can't understand how he could slave away for fourteen years for Rachel though—two years is long enough. I would have gotten on my camel and run off with her."

Leaning on her elbow, and with a shy smile on her lips, Bella stated, "If that Jacob was anything like you, she would have gotten on the camel and went with him. I know I would."

"Yeah?" I could feel my face lighting up.

"Good thing there are no camels out back," Charlie joked.

* * *

><p><em>Enter the Dragon<em> was playing. Charlie and I were hypnotized by the screen. Bella wasn't exactly a fan of Bruce Lee, however she was a fan of mine, so she was a good sport about watching it with me. She was snuggled up to me on the couch, in full view of Charlie's lazy boy. We didn't get to sneak much lovin' in while he was in the room, but then my chance came. The phone rang and Charlie went to get it. In the next instant, he was grabbing his holster and donning his jacket.

"Sorry, kids, there was a robbery at the Quick Mart. I've gotta go."

Sorry? Phht! I wasn't the least bit sorry. It was awkward having him in the same room with us. He was definitely cramping my style. Besides, there was a important something I needed to discuss with Bella.

He walked to the front door and looked back over his shoulder. "You kids behave yourselves now."

I pulled my arm down from Bella's shoulder and in mock seriousness said, "Jeez, Charlie, I'm hurt. Don't you trust me?"

"Oh, I trust you all right. It's your hormones I don't trust." He flashed me a knowing look.

"Well, ya got me there . . . Hey!" Bella had jabbed me in the ribs with her elbow.

"He's your dad, I'm not gonna lie to him. Anyway, he's not stupid."

Charlie eyed his daughter. "You know, Jacob, you're not the only one who needs to behave." With that being said, he was out the door. Thank God, 'cuz I had a lot on my mind and I couldn't talk to Bella with her dad hanging around.

* * *

><p>We watched the movie for the next fifteen minutes. Correction—I <em>pretended<em> to watch the movie. My thoughts swirled around in my head. Bella and I could always talk to each other about anything. But tonight I was broaching a subject that we hadn't discussed before, at least not in so many words. I had been thinking about this the whole week long, and now after reading Edward's letter, it seemed like the timing was perfect. Oh, man, I was getting really nervous. My mouth was dry and my heart was literally pounding in my chest.

I guess I was being a little too quiet . . . you know, just thinking about how to approach this BIG subject.

Bella noticed, and lightly stroking my bicep with her fingers, commented. "Gosh, you're being awfully quiet. Something wrong?"

Okay, here goes . . . I gazed into those gorgeous chocolate eyes, put my hands on either side of her face and kissed her sweetly as a start. She got up on her knees, a smile beginning to break out on her face. Jeez, she was just so beautiful.

Her smile disappeared when she sensed how serious I had become. She leaned over, and grabbing the remote, put the movie on mute.

I pulled her closer, touching her cheek and running my hand over her hair. I could barely get the words out. "I need to get something off my chest. It's been festering for a long time now." I let a sigh escape. "You know I wouldn't ever push you to do something you weren't ready for. But I was wondering . . . now that we're together, if we would ever . . . you know."

The light bulb in her head went off instantly, and she straightened up in the seat. "You mean . . ."

"Yeah. You've gotta know that I dream of you night after night. You're naked in my arms, and I'm making love to every inch of you. Then I wake up in the morning, and I'm by myself in bed, feeling so empty and alone. I can't live on dreams anymore, Bells. I know that this would be against any rules your parents or the church has, but I don't care if I burn in hell for it. It's better than burning right now. I need you. I want you so much, it's killing me. Please . . . tell me that you want me too."

She stammered, drawing away from me. "I . . . I can't. I just . . . I don't know."

I felt my heart falter. "You don't know?"

"What I mean is, I don't know if I'm ready to take that step yet. You know I want you."

I could deal with that answer at least. "Well, what is it that's holding you back?"

Bella interlaced her fingers and tucked them under her chin. She broke our eye contact, staring at nothing it seemed. Why wouldn't she look at me?

"I'm scared," she wimpered.

"Scared that I'll leave you?" I wanted to be sure I understood everything she was saying.

"That's part of it. Someday you'll imprint, and you'll be gone."

I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. I wet my lips and swallowed hard. My throat was still so dry. "Tell me something, Bells. When Charlie married Renee, did he worry that she might leave him someday? Did Sue think that one day she would be a widow? How do I know that you won't be the one to leave _me_? Why can't we forget about all of this imprinting nonsense and just think about and enjoy today? I know in my heart that I could never imprint on anyone as long as I have you with me.

"Have you ever thought about where our relationship is headed? Yeah . . . well, I have—a lot. Maybe we're too young right now, but eventually, I want you to be my wife. Don't you see that?"

She looked straight at me. "I do, and I want it all too."

"So, what's the rest of it? You know I'd never let you get pregnant, not until after we were married."

She began biting her bottom lip. That was the sign I was waiting for. Here it comes, the real reason. Bella lowered her eyes again. "I've never been with a man before. I've never even seen one naked."

Trying to lighten up this heavy mood, I said, "I can fix that right now." I jokingly started to undo the top snap of my jeans.

She put her hand over mine. "Jake, Stop. This isn't something to joke about."

I ran one hand through my hair nervously. "I don't get it. Are you saying you're afraid of me then? Tell me the truth."

Bella was fidgeting with her fingers, lacing and unlacing them in her lap. Her voice was just above a whisper as she replied, "I need to feel that I can trust you completely.

"We've only been a couple for a few weeks, for Pete's sake."

"That is so not true. We've been best friends for two years before that. I can't believe this! Do you honestly think that I would ever physically hurt you?"

"Maybe not intentionally . . ."

How could she say that to me, after all we've been through together? Did she think I was some sex-crazed beast, only after one thing? I would die for this woman. Her words stung me like no others. My heart was crushed, and I could barely breathe. Tears welled up in my eyes; I was so hurt.

My voice sounded strained as I found my tongue again to speak. "I'm through here. Turn off the damn movie. I'm going home to my empty bed."

Bella reached for me, as I stood to go. "Don't touch me," I groaned. I turned and without looking back, walked out to the Rabbit and keyed the ignition.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Love Quileute Style**

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight

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><p>Bella ran out into the yard in her bare feet, and stood behind my car, blocking my exit. I stuck my head out the window, craning my neck so I could see her. I yelled, "What do you think you're doing? Go back inside the house, Bella. You don't have any shoes on. You'll catch pneumonia."<p>

In response, she sat—or tried to sit—on the hatchback of the Rabbit. Obviously, she kept sliding off.

"Sh**!" In my frustration, I pounded my fists sharply on the steering wheel several times. I got out of the car, cursing at her. "I'd like to get out of here, if you don't mind. I take that back—I'd like to get out of here even if you do mind. Now, get the hell away from my car."

Bella tossed her head, like a little snot. "Make me," she taunted.

Man, she was pushing my buttons—every last one of them. She was now hanging onto the Rabbit's fender in defiance. She was one stubborn woman, I'll say that for her. I could have easily yanked her away by pulling her by the waist, but then my bumper would be sitting on the ground. "God dammit, Bella, I said—get away from my freakin'car."

"No, not until you come back inside with me."

I strode forward with determination in every step. I lunged at her trying to release her death grip on the stupid bumper. Every time I got a finger pried loose, another one would take its place. It was like she was magnetized or something.

"Let go of me, you big brute. You're not leaving," she screamed at me. Jeez, she squirmed and fought all my attempts to remove her away from the rear of the Rabbit. It was trying my patience, not to mention how tricky it was to avoid hurting her.

I was so exasperated; I let a scream of my own escape. "Aaaaahhhh!" I yelled as I tore at my hair.

With a new resolve, I went to work peeling the persistent barnacle away from the fender. I finally managed to uncurl her fingers from the metal, and slinging her over my shoulder, walked to the house with her kicking and screaming like I was killing her.

Plunking her down on the couch, I turned to leave again. She slipped under my arm and peeled out the door ahead of me. This time, I found her sitting in the front seat of the car, glaring at me. I got in on the driver's side and slammed the door as hard as I could. It was surprising that the hinges didn't fall off.

Looking straight ahead out the windshield, I snarled, "Are you gonna get out of this car, or are you coming home with me?"

"Neither," She huffed.

"What the hell do I have to do to get you out of that seat?"

"I told you. I want you to come back inside the house and talk to me."

My face was a mask of stone. "Right—like that's gonna happen." I could be stubborn too.

"What are you so _mad_ about?" She folded her arms across her chest and huffed again.

Now I was starting to get really pissed. "I'm not mad, Bella, I'm hurt. H.U.R.T.—hurt. Like you give a damn about my feelings . . ." I turned in her direction. "Why don't you just go away and let me lick my wounds by myself?"

Bella leaned over and grabbed the keys from the ignition. She dangled them in front of my face, teasing me.

"Here, Fido. Here, Fido—go fetch," she mocked, as she proceeded to throw them out the window onto the ground.

I let out a loud sigh, and getting out of the car, walked around to the other side to find the keys. While I was crouching down to rake them into my hand, Bella hurriedly locked all the doors. She peered out the window, with a smug expression on her face.

"Real mature, Bella," I spit out. "What are you—three?"

With fire in her eyes, she stuck her tongue out at me. "All at once, it was over. I broke up laughing. Motioning for her to roll down the window, I offered, "Okay, Bells, you win. I'll go inside with you. But here, open the door and let me carry you; your feet must be freezing.

* * *

><p>I sat her down on the couch, and went to the linen closet, removing a blanket. With the blanket placed on my lap, I pulled her cold feet onto it and rubbed them with my naturally warm hands. Here I was, comforting the girl who just minutes ago had taken a hammer to my heart. What a sucker I was.<p>

When the blood returned to her toes, she got up on her knees and snaked her little arms around my neck, resting her head next to mine. "I'm so sorry, Jake. I don't know what upset you like that, but I am sorry."

Keeping my voice soft and low, I said, "I just don't understand why you would think I could ever hurt you. Can you at least explain why you would even think that?"

"I can, but you're not going to like what I have to say."

"Well, seeing as I'm your prisoner, and have no chance of escape, go ahead and tell me. I'll have to sit here and listen."

She licked her lips and sighed. "You guys all suppose that girls don't think about sex. Well I have news for you. We do, and so have I. You know, stories get around fast and I've gotten an earful. A girl I know at school lost her virginity one night and wound up in the ER, getting stitched up. There are lots of horror stories floating around, some of them aren't too bad, but they all contain a single theme. The first time is not too much fun.

"Let's face it, you're a big guy, Jake. I'm scared to death. I don't want to wind up like one of those girls."

To say I was disgusted was an understatement. Things like that hardly ever happened on the rez. "Those guys were . . . they were pigs. I hate to say it but it's true. They were impatient and didn't know what the hell they were doing. It shouldn't be that painful. The freakin'pigs were looking for a booty call. They weren't making love; they were just in a hurry to get some. I would never let that happen to _my_ girl.

"It wouldn't _be_ like that for us, Bells; _I_ couldn't be like that.

"You know how I hate the mind meld of the wolf pack, but sometimes it has its advantages. I've learned a lot about women from Sam—and believe it or not—even Paul. Sam took a couple of hours one night to get Emily ready for her first time. Go talk to Emily and see if that doesn't convince you.

"If you're not ready, I understand. If you want to wait till your wedding night, I'll wait with you. I love you, Bella, you know that."

I looked over at the clock on the mantle. "Jeez, it's getting late. I need to get going, but this discussion's not over yet. We'll pick up where left off tomorrow."

Charlie came through the front door, and hung up his jacket and holster. He caught the last phrase of our conversation. "Pick up what?" he asked.

"Didn't Bella tell you?" I said in mock seriousness.

He scratched the back of his head. "Tell me what?"

Bella and I roared with laughter.

He looked between the two of us, and muttered, "Kids . . ."

* * *

><p>I left that night happy in the knowledge that we ironed out our differences. And her goodnight kiss was enough to knock my socks off. I whistled my way all the way back to La Push.<p>

* * *

><p>Sleep didn't come easily for Bella that night. She thought long and hard about what they discussed. Would she follow the natural course of her life as Jacob suggested so many times before? She had to have him in her life—he <em>was<em> her life. Bella couldn't imagine going on without her air and her sun. It would be a lonely existence without him. She would not be strong enough to bear it. That's all there was to it. She needed him as much as he needed her. They were a matched set.

* * *

><p>The next day she did indeed visit with Emily.<p>

Emily poured them both a cup of chamomile tea. "I wasn't as nervous as you are. It's true that Native American men make the best lovers. They're very patient and tender with their new mates."

She winked at Bella. "The whole tribe is aware of how much Jacob loves you. You are in for a real treat, girlfriend."

After the red cleared from her cheeks, Bella gazed at her across the kitchen table. "Are you telling me that there was no pain at all?"

Emily sipped her tea and looked thoughtful for a minute. "I don't remember any pain; I just have this memory of feeling a deep-rooted connection to Sam. It was an overwhelming sense of tenderness and love. I was so thrilled that he chose me to be his wife."

Bella nearly spit out her tea. "I didn't know you and Sam were married."

Well, yeah, it's common knowledge. Old Quil performed the ceremony. He's performed dozens of marriages on the rez. I don't know if the state recognizes it, but in La Push, we're as married as any couple. We have our own government, so as far as the tribe is concerned, it's legal.

"Old Quil is head of the Tribal Council; he has the authority. No one can dispute that. I'm surprised that Jacob hadn't told you any of this. In fact, I wouldn't be a bit shocked to see him drag _you_ over to see Old Quil in the near future.

Bella's eyes were wide as she took in this information. Emily shook her head and smiled.

"So, you want to learn how to lose it, Quileute style?"

Jacob was actually telling her the truth. What Emily told her made so much sense. How come the stupid palefaces didn't know this stuff?

* * *

><p>Bella arrived at my door and nearly jumped into my arms. "Hello, you gorgeous hunk, you."<p>

My mouth popped open. "Okay, pod person, what did you do with my Bella?"

I gazed at her with narrowed eyes. "You look like my Bella." I licked her bottom lip with my tongue, and smacked _my_ lips together. "You taste like my Bella." I took a strand of her hair and sniffed at it. "You even smell like my Bella."

She pushed away from me, and spreading out her arms, twirled in a circle. "You are looking at the new and improved Isabella Swan."

Taking her hand in mine, I retorted," C'mon, Bells let's discuss this miraculous transformation out in the Taj."

* * *

><p>I leaned my back against the Rabbit while Bella sat on her orange crate as usual. "So, you wanna tell me what this is all about?"<p>

"I went to see Emily, and you were right."

"Told ya so." Hey, when I'm right, I'm right, and I was so right. Right?

Bells looked up at me, those big chocolate eyes boring into mine. Now what? Ricky Ricardo's life was monotonous compared to mine. Stretching my legs out in front, I crossed one foot over the other and leaned back further. "Okay, Bells. Let's have it. There's something dying to get past your lips. Just spit it out."

"Why haven't you told me about Old Quil?"

Huh? "What did you want to know?"

"How about how he's been tying the knot for couples all over La Push."

Where was she going with this train of thought? "Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, how is it that you never mentioned it to me, or suggested that you take _me_ over there?"

"Wait a minute. Let me get this straight. Are _you _suggesting that you would get married to me in the Quileute style?"

Her head was cocked to the side as she said, "Is this a proposal?"

Now, my mouth fell open—again. She was full of surprises today. "Do you want it to be?"

She licked her lips and hesitated. "Yeah, I think I do."

I drew in my legs and straightened up. "C'mon, Bells, don't mess with me. You'll break my heart."

"No, I'm serious. I really mean it."

I nearly fell on my butt; instead, I fell on my knees. I took her hand in mine and gazed into her warm brown eyes. "Then I really mean this too. I have always loved you. I do today and I will tomorrow and every day after that. I don't think I could honestly live without you. Isabella Marie Swan will you marry me?"

Closing my eyes, I waited for her response, and it didn't take long. She responded with an enthusiastic, "Yes."

I pulled her off the crate and drawing her to me, pressed my lips to hers 'til we were both gasping for air.

"When do you want to tie the knot?"

"What about tomorrow? Is that too soon?"

"Nothing would ever be too soon for me." Damn, one surprise after another. "I'll call Old Quil this afternoon."

I tinkered with the car motor for a while, but my heart wasn't in it. Bella finally had to leave. As I helped her to her truck, I told her, "Don't you dare change your mind. My heart was just recently put back together. You wouldn't want it to break again, now would you?"

She answered by touching her lips to my tee shirt, right where my heart was beating out a joyful rhythm—a rhythm of life and love.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: The Feather and the Stone**

Disclaimer: S. Meyer is the proper owner of these characters.

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><p>I called her all excited, the next morning. "Bella." I spouted, "Old Quil says he'll perform the ceremony at seven P.M." Then as a second thought, I added, "That is . . . if you're still willing." Closing my eyes, I held my breath and crossed my fingers, listening to her response. I hoped she wasn't getting cold feet. But then, I could always warm them up again couldn't I? Bad joke, huh?<p>

"What should I wear?" she replied quietly.

I felt like saying—_Nothing, _but thought better of it.

No brainer there—she only had one nice dress. "How about that little purple number you wore for your graduation."

"Yeah, I guess I should get some wear out of it."

Damn . . . that little purple dress . . . I prayed that she didn't get to stay in it for too long tonight.

I changed gears in a hurry, before my hormones started churning. "Hey, would you like to go cliff diving again this afternoon? I mean . . . you know, since we're gonna take the plunge today and all. It'll be symbolic. Whaddya say?"

"I'll be at your place at one."

My head was bobbling with an air of smugness. "I'll be the one waiting in the little red house with the big smile on my face."

* * *

><p>As soon as Bella got off the phone, she started cutting up small rectangles and squares of paper, scribbling away on each one of them, then she grabbed for the safety pins.<p>

She ate lunch and got changed into her swim suit. It dawned on her that Jacob had never even seen her in it. The cover-up went over the top of it, and she quickly picked up her tote bag and hat.

* * *

><p>I opened the front door as soon as I heard her truck pull up outside. She was in some hurry to get into the house.<p>

"I want to show you something," she said.

Bella peeled off her cover-up and showed off the bathing suit I had given her. She looked great in it, but there were these little white tags still hanging off the edges—a lot of them. What the . . .?

"You want me to remove those tags for you?"

She spread her arms out like she was ready to be frisked. "What tags?"

Getting closer to her, I picked up one of the tags. "One of these ta— Whaaaat?" I read a tag: _Non returnable_. On another was written: _Hands off!_ A third one attached to her rear end said: _You can look but don't touch—Jacob said so!_ And again:_ Back off, buddy! a_nd _Jake's Girl_. Then there was my personal favorite, the one hung right above her chest: _Private property of Jacob Black—absolutely no trespassing_. I laughed as I ventured, "Let's keep this one on here."

I took the little pieces of paper off except for my fav, and put them in one of my books laying on the coffee table. Handing the pins back to Bella, I told her, "I think I'll keep these as a souvenir of your insanity.

"Okay, you ready now? Let's go." Putting an arm around her waist, I steered her toward the door.

* * *

><p>We had a blast at the cliffs and this time there was no wardrobe malfunction, thank god. Once we got back to the house, I reached into my glove compartment and retrieved a bottle of astroglide and a pak of three condoms. I placed them in her lap. She gasped in shock. You would think I had handed her a snake.<p>

When she recovered, she mused, "You thinking of getting really lucky tonight?"

My grin sneakily emerged as I quipped, "Well, I know how frustrated you've been all this time. I just wanted to be sure to anticipate all your womanly needs." I wiggled my eyebrows at her. "Anyway, it's not for today. Hopefully, I'll get you ready tonight, so you can be _mine_ tomorrow."

She looked a little pale as she slipped the items in her tote bag. I helped her out of the car, pulling her closer to me.

"C'mere, honey. It'll be okay, I promise. You just need to trust me. I love you to the moon and back."

I walked her to the truck and watched as she climbed in. As I began to back up toward the house, I told her, "I'll pick you up at six thirty."

She started up the engine, then turned to me again. "What do you want me to tell Charlie?"

"Tell him the truth."

Those chocolate orbs rolled around in her head as she whined, "Oh, that'll go over great. _Jake and I are going to a Quileute ceremony so we can have sex legally." _

"Jeez, Bells, not that truth. You're going to a wedding. He doesn't need to know that it's _our_ wedding."

I slapped my hand on the body of the truck as a sendoff. "Okay then, 6:30. Be ready."

"I know! I heard you the first time," she huffed. "Geesh, you're a bigger worry wart than I am."

Her truck rumbled out of the driveway onto the road, and I waited in the yard 'til it was out of sight.

Bella was right. I was scared that she'd have second thoughts and back out. I could probably live with that, but what a blow it would be after getting my hopes up so high. Could my heart take another beating? I went in the house to shower and shave and get ready to do this.

* * *

><p>There was no way to avoid Billy. He was on me like a tick on a dog.<p>

He rolled out of his bedroom, and stared at me with his all seeing eyes. "Do you have something to tell me, son?"

I shrugged my shoulders as he looked me up and down. "What—can't a guy get dressed up every once in a while?" Yeah, I admit it—it was pretty thin, especially since I was wearing my best light blue shirt, and grey suit. The silver tie I borrowed from Paul was the clincher. Me, wearing a tie? Never happened! Well, maybe at a funeral—or in this case, a wedding.

Damn, did he have ESP or what? Being in a wheelchair didn't diminish his knack for uncovering whatever it was that I was trying to hide. So I told him the truth—the real truth. I figured he would take it better than Charlie at any rate.

I sat down at the kitchen table, and placed my hands on the surface. Interlacing my fingers, I leaned back in the chair before returning Billy's gaze. "Bella and I are going to Old Quil to be married. Okay? You satisfied now? And don't try to talk me out of it."

His head tilted to one side. "I'm not going to talk you out of it. But I will point out that you're still in school, and don't have a full time job."

"I'm not stupid, Dad. I'm planning on graduating early. Embry's gonna help me sign up for online classes. Bella and I will be going to Peninsula College in January. We'll both work and get our own place at that time. But for right now, Charlie can't know. It's obvious I can't take care of her before I graduate. I love her, Dad; it hurts to be away from her. I just can't stand it anymore."

My dad wheeled his chair closer to sit beside me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Do you think I don't understand how you feel? Believe me, I get it. I was young and in love once. Did you know that I was your age, actually a little younger, when I married your mother? She was fifteen at the time. I had to beg her dad to let us get married, and we'd be married still if it wasn't for that accident that took her away from me. So, no, I won't talk you out of it. You never know what might lie ahead. Life is short, and who am I to come between you and your future happiness.

"Since you've made up your mind, I might as well give you something I've been saving for an occasion like this."

He wheeled into his bedroom and returned with a small black box in his lap. "Here, Son, this was your mother's wedding ring. Your sisters wanted to pick out their own. You can keep it until you buy Bella a ring or it's hers to keep if she really wants it."

I opened the box and peeked at the thin gold band. It was set with seven small diamonds all in a row. I'd seen it plenty of times before, but it suddenly seemed so right for her. It was like Bella—simple, not pretentious, but precious beyond words.

I got all choked up at his gesture. "Thanks, Dad, but are you sure? I mean, this belonged to mom. You gave it to her."

"Sure, sure."

Dad winked at me then. "Did you think to buy some protection? Not that I wouldn't mind being a grandpa."

I guess it was my turn to be embarrassed today. I averted my eyes as I mumbled, "I already gave it to Bells."

"Good boy. Go get her, son."

* * *

><p>Bella was ready when I got to her house, looking so gorgeous, I nearly swallowed my tongue. When I finally could piece together a coherent sentence, I whispered, "The stars in the heavens are going to be so jealous tonight." Damn, I couldn't wait to make this woman mine!<p>

She bowed her head in embarrassment, but still managed to say, "Thanks. You clean up pretty good yourself. I've never seen you looking so—dashing."

Dashing? Bella thought I was dashing? I used to kid her that I was irresistible, but now I was dashing. I kinda liked that.

Charlie greeted me at the door. "Wow! Is that you, Jacob? Just look at you. This is the first time I've seen you in a suit and tie. I'm impressed." He turned to Bella and gave her a hug. "You two have a good time. Oh wait . . . let me get a picture of the two of you. I might not ever see you dressed like this again, unless it's at your wedding."

Bella and I eyed each other. If he only knew . . . He practically hit the nail on the head. I kept my fingers crossed that he didn't notice the look that passed between us.

He came back with a spring in his step and shot a few poses. Those pics should be awesome. Bella looked beautiful, and I was. . . well—_dashing_.

I didn't think about it, but Bella had the presence of mind to take the camera with her. Guys are always into the moment, whereas the women take the time to preserve all the precious memories. This would be one memory I would never forget though, with or without the snapshots.

* * *

><p>We couldn't stop looking at each other on the way to Old Quil's. It was a miracle that we didn't get in an accident. Hell, I couldn't keep my freakin' eyes on the road. We did make it safely to his home; must've had a guardian angel protecting us from our own stupidity.<p>

Old Quil was dressed in ceremonial robes. He had two witnesses with him. I should have guessed—there was my dad grinning from ear to ear, sitting in his wheelchair. Standing beside him was Jared's father, Philemon Tacheenie. They were wearing robes identical to Old Quil's.

Motioning us to sit down on nearby chairs, Old Quil began to speak to us from his heart. "I want to impress upon you the importance of the step you are taking. You realize that in the sight of God and these witnesses, that you will be husband and wife." He turned to Bella. "Are you taking Jacob as your life long mate of your own free will?"

"I am," she replied softly.

His ancient brown eyes rested on me next, "And you, Jacob?"

He didn't have to ask me twice. "Yes, I am."

"Follow me then."

As we followed Old Quil outside, I took a leather pouch from my jacket pocket and handed Bella a small white feather. I whispered in her ear. "You're supposed to give this to me during the ceremony."

We all walked into the tree line behind his house; Philemon pushing my dad in his chair. A clearing loomed before us with chairs set up, and a fire pit burning in the midst of it. Two smaller fires were burning at either end. There were three blankets folded on one of the chairs. Two of them were blue, and the larger one, white. On top of the blankets was the traditional set of vows burned onto leather sheets. Old Quil handed us each a set, and explained.

"As a couple, you will take seven steps around the fire. At each step you will repeat a vow, until you have completed all seven steps. At the second step, Jacob you will impart your gift to your sweet wife. And Bella, at the seventh step you will give your gift to Jacob.

Old Quil took the blue blankets from the chair. He put the first one around Bella and the second on me. We each took the first step and recited the vow; first me, and then Bella following.

On the second vow, I told Bella to stretch out her hand. I placed a smooth white stone into her palm.

Old Quil announced, "This is a symbol of his strength, which he will share with you throughout your sojourn in this life."

He nodded at me and I led Bella to the third step. We continued on 'til we came to the seventh step. I put out my hand, as Old Quil said, "Bella give your husband your gift of loyalty."

There were tears welling in our eyes as she placed the feather in my grasp.

Standing before us, Old Quil took the blue blankets away from our bodies, and replaced it with one white blanket binding us together as one. Bella was squeezing my hand, her chocolate eyes sparkling like diamonds in the firelight. She never once looked away from my face.

Old Quil said something that I didn't catch; I was so mesmerized by her beauty. I finally turned and replied, "What?"

My dad and Philemon both chuckled at the little mishap. Quil repeated, "Did you bring a ring with you?"

"Oh, sure, sure." I think my face was redder than Bella's, I was so embarrassed.

Old Quil countered with. "It's okay, Jacob, we understand. You are in love with this woman. It's stopped up your ears, blinded your eyes, and tied up your tongue.

"Bella, extend your hand to Jacob, so he may place his promise—in the form of a ring—on your finger. With it, he promises to love you as his own flesh, to honor and protect you."

My hands trembled as I placed the ring on her finger. I brought her hand to my mouth and tearfully kissed it. I gazed into her deep brown eyes again, so filled with love. God, I adored this woman!

He took the blanket from us. "Now, Bella, place your hand on top of Jacob's." Old Quil put his grizzled appendage on our layered hands. "Go now. Take her; she is yours, Jacob, as you are hers. May the spirits bless your home, and may you never speak an unkind word to each other from this day forward. You may bind together the fires burning in your souls, just as these fires are joined today."

I picked Bella up in my joy—and yes, you got it—swung her around and around. I set her down and we kissed our first kiss as a married couple. I took Bella by the hand, and with a nearby rake, helped her add the two small fires to the larger one, symbolically merging our hearts and spirits as one.

* * *

><p>AN: I apologize for fictionalizing this ceremony, but I could not find any information on it anywhere. I hope it sufficed. And here are the words to the "Rite of the Seven Steps", which is authentic, along with the fires and the blankets.

* * *

><p><strong>The Rite of Se<strong>**ven Steps**

Let us take the first step to provide for our household  
>a nourishing and pure diet, avoiding those foods injurious to healthy living.<br>Let us take the second step to develop physical, mental and spiritual powers.  
>Let us take the third step to increase our wealth<br>by righteous means and proper use.  
>Let us take the fourth step to acquire knowledge,<br>happiness and harmony by mutual love and trust.  
>Let us take the fifth step, so that we be blessed<br>with strong, virtuous and heroic children.  
>Let us take the sixth step for self-restraint and longevity.<br>Finally, let us take the seventh step and be true companions  
>and remain lifelong partners by this wedlock."<p>

We have taken the Seven Steps. You have become mine forever.  
>Yes, we have become partners. I have become yours.<br>Hereafter, I cannot live without you.  
>Do not live without me. Let us share the joys.<br>We are word and meaning, united.  
>You are thought and I am sound. May the night be honey-sweet for us;<br>may the morning be honey-sweet for us;  
>may the earth be honey-sweet for us and the heavens<br>be honey-sweet for us. May the plants be honey-sweet for us;  
>may the sun be all honey for us;<br>may the cows yield us honey-sweet milk.  
>As the heavens are stable, as the earth is stable,<br>as the mountains are stable, as the whole universe is stable,  
>so may our unions be permanently settled.<p> 


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: All is Well**

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight

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><p>Bella and I shook Old Quil's hand and thanked him. I walked toward my dad, wagging my finger at him. So, you're not the all-seeing sage after all, huh? How long have you known?"<p>

"I _didn't_ know. I suspected something, but I wasn't sure what it was until Old Quil here asked me to be a witness. For some reason, he felt that I should be at my only son's nuptials. Imagine that."

Bella slipped to my side, shyly. "Hey, Billy. You're not mad at us are you?"

"Nah, if I was mad, I would have called Charlie right away to put a stop to your shenanigans." He put his hand over his chest, and said, "I'm just an old romantic at heart, I guess. By the way, if you two need a place to canoodle, I'll turn a blind eye, and put my earplugs in. Maybe I should have a bigger bed put in your room, Jacob."

"Dad . . ."

My new bride was totally mortified. She was clutching my arm so tight it was practically cutting off the circulation. However, there was no stopping the blood that was circulating clear up to Bella's ears. She stared down at her shoes until she could compose herself.

My dad went right on rattling. "What? You're married now; that's what marriage is for, to cling to each other—to bring children into this world—"

Averting her eyes from my father she quietly handed me the camera. "Let's get a few pictures before we leave."

I took one of Bella hugging my dad, and one of Philemon, my dad, and Old Quil. Back and forth we went mixing and matching with the officiators. My ol' man took several of us, and we were finally satisfied that we had enough. It was time to go. Bella retrieved the camera, and I carried her bridal style to the car.

As she got in, she grabbed my hand. "Hey, Jake, I just realized, we didn't sign any paperwork. Don't we get a certificate or something?"

I had to laugh out loud. "You're such a paleface, Bella. You've been to bonfires before; did you see anyone reading off a paper while the legends were told? Our culture has a spoken tradition; we're not into paper and red tape. Don't worry, this news will travel fast among the tribe. Everyone will know about it. And no one would question Old Quil's word. He's held in high regard, believe me. As far as we're concerned he's on even footing with the pope."

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><p>She was leaning against me, her head on my shoulder and both arms wrapped around mine. "You know, Jake. I've never been a big fan of marriage, probably because of what it did to Charlie and me. I wasn't fond of weddings in general either. But the ceremony today; it was . . . I can't put it into words. It was so meaningful, like how all weddings should be—not these million dollar circuses that end in divorce after a week and a half. Just you and me and promises made to each other.<p>

"Oh my gosh, It just hit me. Where did you get the ring? It's beautiful."

I took her hand and stared at that little gold circle that contained all my undying vows made to her. "It was my mother's. I'll get you one of your own in the next year if you want."

She twisted it on her finger, letting the diamonds catch the light. "Can I think about that first? It's such an honor to wear it. I know how much you loved her."

We pulled into her driveway, and I went around to the passenger side to help her out of the car. My heart was full, and it fluttered in my chest. I kept gazing into her eyes, as if she would vanish like a puff of smoke. She was mine; it was hard to believe. Bella was truly mine. Life now had a purpose, and I would do my damnedest to fulfill that purpose.

Her eyebrows knit together, and she cocked her head to one side. "What?"

My voice was low as I asked, "Bells . . . can you do me a favor tonight?"

She grinned at me mischievously. "I thought I already was."

I folded my arms and rested my back against the Rabbit. "No, I mean besides that."

"Okay, I'm game."

"I'd like you to leave this dress on."

Her brow furrowed again as she inquired, "Why?"

"Because, Mrs. Black . . . I want to be the one to take it off."

The most beautiful shade of crimson colored her cheeks, as she responded softly. "Oh."

I wondered why it was that girls are so embarrassed about sex. Guys just take it so matter of factly. Is it our anatomy? I mean, let's face it, the guy's junk is hangin' out there for everyone to see. The girls, uh, stuff is hidden away, all folded up nice and neat.

"Is Charlie a sound sleeper, I hope?"

She walked forward, pressing up against me. "It would take someone screaming to wake him up." She knew that through several months of experience.

"You might want to remember that tonight." I couldn't help the smirk that formed on my lips.

Bella looked down at the ground. Could her face possibly get any redder? It was so sweet. Damn, I could have just eaten her up.

"Leave your window open tonight. I'm gonna phase and come to your room. I'm sorry I can't wear this suit and tie, but Billy would totally flip out if I ripped it to shreds.

"Are you still nervous?"

She finally looked up at me with those big chocolate eyes, her hand sliding down the lapel of my jacket. "What do you think?"

Placing my hand over hers, I let her know that I wasn't exactly a poster child for calm either. "Yeah, me too. It's okay to be a little nervous; I just don't want you to be afraid of me, okay?"

I reached out and hugged her tight. My emotions were getting the best of me. I didn't want to let her go; apparently, she didn't want me too either. As our lips melded together, her hands began pulling at my hair. Her tongue went crazy. Jeez, it was hard, but I managed to call time out. My pants were starting to smoke. "Not yet, honey. Be patient," I snickered. "I won't keep you waiting too much longer."

I walked Bella to her door, and kissed her one more time. She waved in the doorway as I drove away. I was gonna be so pissed if I woke up and found out that this was all a dream.

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><p>Bella took the dress off but left her PJs on the rocking chair. She covered herself in a bathrobe and freshened up. Charlie was just about ready to get in bed, so Bella went downstairs to wish him goodnight. "Hey, dad, I'm a little wound up tonight. Would it be okay if I left the radio on for a while? I'll keep it low so it won't bother you."<p>

"That's fine kiddo. I'm so beat I could sleep through a hurricane tonight."

_I hope you're right,_ she thought.

Just her luck—it was raining cats and dogs outside. She pulled a couple of towels out of the linen closet and laid them at the foot of the mattress. She would probably need one for herself and Jacob anyway.

When she heard Charlie snoring, she slipped back into her dress, and turned off the light. After turning down the covers, she sat on the edge of her bed anxiously waiting.

Ten minutes elapsed, and Jacob's voice wafted up from below her window. "I'm coming up, Bells." Then a second later he launched himself into her room, wearing a pair of cutoffs, and that _Jacob_ smile.

He was soaked, and the water was pooling onto the floor, so Bella grabbed the largest towel and went over his face and chest to dry him off. Oh my gosh, he was so beautiful. The rain was dripping off the strands of his glossy black hair, glistening on his russet skin and falling onto his long dark eyelashes like drops of dew. The light from the window accentuated the planes of his cheeks and strong jaw, and the muscles in his neck and chest. There was no way she could find the will to turn him away tonight, not when he looked like that!

She continued sopping up the water on his shorts and legs, when he took the towel from her and wrapped it around his waist, sliding the wet shorts out from underneath it and flinging them onto the rocking chair. She took in a sharp breath in the knowledge that there was nothing covering him except that towel. It was nerve wracking and exhilarating at the same time.

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><p>Swallowing thickly, she stood shyly as I came closer. I turned her about, slowly unbuttoned the fastenings at her neck, and unzipping it, slipped the dress to the floor. My heart stopped in my chest and my mouth went dry at the sight of her. Walking around in front of Bella, I took her face in my hands, gazing at her for a few seconds. Taking my time, I kissed her sweet lips over and over again, running my hands through her hair and along her trembling body. I could sense her readiness, so I picked her up and gently set her on the mattress, pulling the covers over her.<p>

The damp towel was quickly dropped on the floor next to the bed. I side-stepped it, and slipped beneath the sheets beside my love.

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><p>I'm not one to kiss and tell, but when I say that things went pretty good, well, that is a gross understatement. It went better than good, hell it was freakin' AWESOME. I showed Bella a trick so I wouldn't be left hanging, and I rang her chimes more than once. Hell, if this night was that good, I could just imagine what tomorrow would be like. We snuggled afterwards and slept 'til dawn. Bella was reluctant to let me go, but Charlie would be up and around soon, so I had to leave.<p>

Her hands were still on my arms, and her lips were swollen from all the kissing. Her hair was wild which made her look even more beautiful if that was possible.

She opened those perfect pink lips and whispered. "So that's it? I'm really ready for tonight?"

I ran my fingers through her hair and nuzzled her cheek. "Honey, you were ready hours ago. I just didn't want to push you."

"Well, what time are you coming back?" She clamped her hands a bit tighter around my biceps.

"Jeez, Bells, don't worry. A pack of wolves couldn't keep me away."

Those pink lips slid into pouting mode. "Can't you come back after Charlie goes to work?"

Holy hell, I've created a monster. I rubbed the back of my hand along her jaw when I finally loosened her grip on me. "You know I would stay if I could, but I've gotta take care of Billy. He has a doctor's appointment. Then I have extra patrol duty today too. I promise I won't be any later than ten thirty."

She pulled me toward her again, moistening my bottom lip with the tip of her tongue. She was getting my motor running again. "Not that I don't appreciate what you're doing, but—stop—I've gotta leave. Tonight, Bells, tonight! Just wait. I'm gonna come back to you and wrap you up in my love. I'm gonna make you feel so good that I'll have to arm myself with a stick to beat you off of me from then on."

I twisted out of her grasp, and sitting beside her on the bed, slipped back into my shorts. She wrapped the sheet around herself and followed me to the window. I sailed out the casement, landing in her backyard again. I looked up and there was that pout still on her face.

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><p>It was ten o'clock and I was running at top speed to be with the girl I fought so hard for. Tonight I would claim her as my own. The clouds were a curtain enveloping the moon so that there was little light. I didn't need it anyway. I was homing in on that delicious strawberry scent riding on the currents of the wind. It was just ahead; the window was open, beckoning me. As I approached, my mind pondered the events that took me to this turning point in my life. Who would have guessed that the fiasco at First Beach and the purchase of a swim suit would ultimately win me the girl of my dreams? I've loved Bella forever it seemed, and now she had finally chosen to return that love.<p>

Phasing back quickly, I was anxious to join our bodies and spirits together as one. Jake and Bells, it was meant to be. I leapt through her window ready to share my love with her, my one true mate. I gazed in awe at the beauty sitting there on the edge of the bed impatiently waiting for me—Jacob Black—the poor boy from La Push. And the rest as they say is history.

The End


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